I’m calling this Thai Green Mango Salad “som tum” som YUM. Because, well, it’s yum-my. And coincidentally, the word “yum” refers to Thai salads in general.
Som tum is traditionally made with fresh green mango or papaya, green beans, Thai chili peppers, tomato, peanuts, dried shrimp and fish sauce. But I’m keeping it 100% vegan here, and it’s still delish.
Som tum is often eaten with sticky rice and/or alongside meat or seafood, or served as a snack in Southeast Asia. It’s also served as an appetizer salad in Thai restaurants (at least here in the US).
The word “som” means sour and “tum” refers to the sound of pounding the ingredients in the mortar and pestle, the traditional way of making the dish.
If you can’t find green papaya sub unripe mango
The Salad…
The salad starts with very green (unripe) mango or papaya, which you can shred on a mandoline such as this OXO one. Or use a handheld serrated shredded. The unripe quality of the fruit gives the dish a tanginess, and truly green papaya has a very neutral, cucumber-like taste. I couldn’t find it for this recipe, so I subbed the firmest green unripe mango I could find.
TIP: if you live near an Asian market you can check there for green papaya or mango
In many recipes, the green beans are raw, but I char grill mine just a bit in a nonstick grill pan. I also add scallion, toasted peanuts, and a ton of fresh herbs to my recipe. Think traditional Thai herbs ~ cilantro, thai basil, and mint.
Herbs such as Thai basil, cilantro and mint are used here
Tip: remove seeds from peppers for less heat
The dressing…
For the dressing I use fresh shallot and garlic, some of the thai chili, fresh lime, coconut sugar and little bit of a neutral oil, such as avocado. The oil is optional, so you can omit for oil-free and/or a tangier dressing.
To assemble, I lightly toss some of the dressing with the salad ingredients then top with the toasted peanuts. You can also sub cashews for the peanuts if preferred.
Wondering how to enjoy this salad?
- as an appetizer
- as a salad
- with sticky rice
- as a lettuce wrap topper
- as a side to grilled tofu
- as a side to grilled seafood or meat
Ready to dig in!
If you make this recipe tag me on Instagram, I love to see your creations!
Like this recipe? Check these out…
Thai Quinoa Crunch Salad
Mango, Avocado & Butter Lettuce Salad
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 thai chilis remove seeds for less heat
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or other mild oil
- 1/2 pound long green beans ends trimmed
- 1 large green/unripe mango or sub green/unripe papaya
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as cilantro, thai basil, mint
- 3 scallions both ends trimmed, then halved and julienned
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Ingredients
Dressing ingredients
Salad ingredients
|
|
- for the dressing: mince part of one of the thai chilis to yield one tablespoon, then slice the rest for the salad and set aside
- purée the one tbsp minced chili with remaining dressing ingredients using a handheld or standard blender, season dressing to taste with salt
- heat a nonstick grill pan or grill over high heat and grill the green beans until just charred and still very crisp (about 3- 5ish minutes), then season to taste with salt; let cool completely before mixing into salad
- peel and julienne mango, or cut on a mandolin or use a shredder (see post for tips)
- to assemble salad combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss with desired amount of dressing, then top with roasted peanuts and serve right away
Recipe serves 2 as a main salad, 4 as a side
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com