Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) With Thai Curry Aioli

Som Tam is one of my favorites salad. It’s refreshing, salty, tangy, slightly fruity, and has a ton of umami flavor from the fish sauce and dried shrimp. I add cucumber into mine for an added crunch and refreshing bite and soy sauce into the dressing for a little more salt, but those are usually not in traditional Som Tam.

Another not-so typical thing about this is the Thai curry aioli. I honestly just needed a reason to use this Thai Red Curry paste before it went bad, but it ended up pairing so well with the som tam. The fatty, creamy aspect adds the perfect balance to the salty and tangy salad.

Green papayas are just orange papayas that are picked early. They aren’t super sweet like orange papaya, but instead are refreshing and crisp. They also aren’t the easiest to find in average grocery stores, but most Asian markets or Thai grocery stores will have them!

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) with Thai Curry Aioli

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main | Time: 25 minutes

Thai Curry Aioli

• 2 egg yolks

• Canola oil

• 2 tbs. Thai red curry paste (can substitute with storebought)

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/2 lime, juiced

Whisk the egg yolk. Slowly drizzle in canola oil while whisking fast to create a thick mixture. Continue drizzling and whisking until it lightens in color and a mayo-like consistency is formed. If it breaks and just looks watery/isn’t thickening, crack another egg yolk into a separate bowl and use the watery mixture as the “oil",” slowly drizzling it in while whisking. If the mixture looks oily and separated, add in a drop of water or lime juice and whisk it back together Can also substitute this with a storebought mayonnaise. Fold in the lime juice, curry paste, salt, and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Green Papaya Salad

• 1 green papaya, with skin peeled off, julienned or grated into strips - yields about 3 cups worth

• 3/4 cup Chinese long beans, “bruised*” (see note below) and cut into 2-inch pieces

• 1 English cucumber, deseeded and julienned or grated into strips

• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise

• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 1/4 cup lime juice

• 4 Thai chilis, minced with seeds

• 1/3 cup. dried shrimp - roughly chopped and stir-fried in oil to crisp up

• 1 tsp. soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• Mint, Thai basil, and cilantro for garnish

*”Bruise” the beans by pounding them with a rolling pin or your fist to soften them up a little bit and allow them to release some of their juice. This makes them more enjoyable to eat and easier to digest since they’re raw in this salad.

Prepare all the vegetables (first 4 ingredients) and place in a bowl with the peanuts to mix. Mix the remaining ingredients except for the garnishing herbs together to create the dressing. Toss together with the vegetables just before serving. Serve on top of the aioli and garnish with more crushed peanuts and the herbs.