ส้มตำ — Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

Som tum is the salad that starts fistfights over who makes it better. Shredded green papaya
pounded in a mortar with lime, chili, and garlic, hitting every flavor note — sour, hot, salty,
sweet — in a single explosive bite. Naturally oil-free, naturally fasting-compatible, and
naturally one of the best things you will ever eat.

FASTING LEVEL: Strict Fast (no oil) — naturally oil-free

SERVINGS: 2
TIME: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g green papaya, peeled, seeded, and shredded into thin strips
- 100 g long beans (or green beans), cut into 3 cm pieces
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3-6 bird's eye chilies (adjust to your pain tolerance)
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon soy + 1 tablespoon mushroom sauce)
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste

METHOD:
1. In a large mortar, pound garlic and chilies together into a rough paste.
2. Add long beans and bruise them lightly with the pestle — you want to break the fibers, not pulverize.
3. Add palm sugar and pound briefly to dissolve.
4. Add shredded green papaya in handfuls, pounding and tossing with a spoon after each addition. The pestle bruises the papaya and helps it absorb the dressing.
5. Add lime juice, soy sauce, and tamarind paste. Pound and toss to combine.
6. Add tomatoes and toss gently — do not crush them.
7. Taste and adjust the four flavors: sour (lime), sweet (sugar), salty (soy), hot (chili). Every bite should hit all four.
8. Transfer to a plate. Scatter crushed peanuts on top.

NOTES:
- A mortar and pestle is essential. A food processor or knife cannot replicate the bruised texture that makes som tum what it is.
- Start with fewer chilies and add more. You can always add heat; you cannot remove it.
- Green papaya is available at Asian grocery stores. There is no substitute — a ripe papaya will not work.
- Peanuts add protein and crunch. Each serving provides about 8 g protein.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 195 | Protein: 8 g | Carbohydrates: 32 g | Fat: 6 g | Fibre: 5 g