International Recipes

Som Tam Isan
(Papaya Salad - Thai)

This is a typical isan (northeast) dish. It can be made with or without the plara (pickled mud fish). Potential cooks are warned: this ingredient smells foul! But it does taste nice. Som tam is a basic 'salad' style dish, eaten as a snack.

No Photo

Ingredients

  • 1 papaya (paw-paw) julienned
  • An equal quantity of red prik ki nu (birdseye or dynamite chiles)*
  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely,
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (Thai long beans if possible)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup tamarind juice
  • Juice from 2 tablespoons pickled mud-fish

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle the julienned papaya with salt and let stand for half an hour or so, then squeeze and discard any fluid.
  2. Add the chili, and pound in a mortar and pestle.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients except the tomato, and pound until mixed and tender.
  4. Add the tomato, and serve with a bowl of sticky rice.

Notes

* These are normally de-stalked, cut in four lengthwise then in half crosswise.

Attribution

Posted by WingsFan91 at Recipe Goldmine 11/15/2001 4:45 pm.

Special thanks to Muoi Khuntilanont.



God's Rainbow - Noahic Covenant