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Food from Afar: Som Tam

Lottie Storey January 11, 2016

‘Salad’. It’s a wimpy word for such a vivacious dish. But that is what this Thai street- food staple usually becomes in translation – green papaya salad. Its native name is far more appropriate to a dish that assaults the lips and tongue with its combo of sweet-sour zing and fiery heat: ‘som’ and ‘tam’ could be the percussive thwacks of a comic-book hero, punching you in the mouth.

The true translation of Som Tam isn’t a million miles away: tam means ‘to pound’ (while som is ‘sour’). Traditionally it is made using a pestle and mortar, the green (unripe) papaya – which is mildly savoury and slightly crunchy – grated or hand-sliced into matchsticks* before being gently crushed with garlic, bird’s-eye chillies, toasted peanuts, dried shrimps, cherry tomatoes and green beans. It’s then dressed with lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind water and palm sugar – preferably enough to leave a slurpable puddle at the bottom of the dish to be soaked up by the sticky rice that’s usually served in a bowl alongside it.

Wouldn’t we all love to be scoffing this at a beach café right now? It’s a gap year in a bowl. And if you’re inspired to shine some south-east Asian sun over your own midwinter table, you don’t need to scour the exotic produce aisles for a green papaya. Som Tam dressing is so pungent that it works with any crunchy salad or edible raw root: kohlrabi, cabbage, peeled and deseeded cucumber, courgette, carrot, celariac, beetroot – even that unloved swede that’s loitering in your veg box. As a sinus- busting (and soul-enriching) winter cold remedy, it beats anything you could get out of a lemon-flavoured sachet.

TUCK IN: Som Tam is one of the signature dishes at Sukhothai, which has four branches in Leeds and Harrogate (sukhothai.co.uk).

* It’s what your spiralizer has been waiting for

Inspired to make your own? Head to our Food from afar Pinterest board for recipe ideas:


Follow The Simple Things's board Food from afar on Pinterest.

Read more:

From the January issue

Food from afar

How to combat a common cold

 

January's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.

InEating, Escaping Tagsfood from afar, january, issue 43, recipe, flu buster
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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