Green Papaya Salad (Lao style )

Green Papaya Salad (Lao style ) or "Som Tum Malagor Lao" in Thai. Malagor means papaya. This is very popular spicy salad in Thailand. Som Tum is a classic Thai dish and very common in Northeast of Thailand but you will see all over Thailand. There is three different ways to make Som Tum. It has peanuts mixed in Som Tum called " Som Tum Thai", another one is "Som Tum Poo". Som Tum Poo has small pickled crabs pounded in it. ( Crabs is Poo in Thai) And the last one is "Som Tum Lao" or " Som Tum Sai Pla Ra". Som Tum Lao will put the juice of pickled mudfish in it and the juice of pickled mudfish is Pla Ra in Thai. I used to have Som Tum like a snack. It is very tasty and very refreshing dish. I like to eat it very spicy with cooked rice vermicelli noodles. I used to make it for my mother in law and she's crazy about my Som Tum. Here I made Som Tum Lao. I don't have the juice picked mudfish substitute shrimp paste. Let's try my Som Tum and let's see do you like Som Tum Lao? Next time I will make Som Tum Thai with peanuts.


Ingredients:
1) 1 Green Papaya
2) 1 clove garlic
3) 7 fresh chilies
4) 1/8 tsp salt
5) 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
6) 1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
7) 1 Tbsp lime juice
8) 1/2 Tbsp palm sugar
9) 2 tomatoes.
10) 4 Thai egg plants.


Preparation
1) Green papaya you can get from Asian grocery.
2) Peel fresh green papaya, rinse the white milk off then pat dry.
3) Shred the whole papaya but I used only 2 cups shredded papaya. I save for next time.
4) This is all photos of ingredients I use for my Som Tum.


5) Peel only skin of Thai egg plants. i don't put seed in it.

6) slice tomatoes.
7) In mortar and pestle, coarsely pound the fresh chilies, garlic, salt and tiny bit of shredded papaya.


8) Add fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and shrimp paste into the mortar.

9) Add sliced tomatoes and skin of Thai egg plants to mix with the spicy sauce in the mortar.
Gently crush, and mix thoroughly.


10) Add shredded green papaya into the mortar.

11) Pound together until mixed well



Taste for sweet, salty, and sour flavour.

12) Serve on a dish with fresh cabbage and string beans on the side.

I like to eat with cooked rice vermicelli noodles . Enjoy/!