By Akshara
September 5, 2026
Thai raw papaya salad, locally known as som tum, is renowned for its vibrant contrast of sour, fiery, sweet, and salty notes. Shredded green papaya serves as a crisp, neutral canvas that absorbs the bold dressing made from freshly pounded garlic, chillies, lime juice, and palm sugar. Using a mortar and pestle to bruise the ingredients rather than just chopping them allows the juices to mingle thoroughly into the raw papaya strands. Finished with roasted peanuts and tender green beans, this light salad offers an invigorating crunch that works beautifully as a standalone meal or a side dish.
2 cups raw green papaya, peeled and shredded into long thin strips  2 cloves garlic  2 small red or green bird's eye chillies  1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar  2 tablespoons fresh lime juice  1.5 tablespoons soy sauce or light vegetarian seasoning sauce  6 cherry tomatoes, halved  4 fresh green beans, cut into inch-long pieces  2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
Place the garlic cloves and bird's eye chillies into a large wooden mortar and pound gently with a pestle until broken down into a coarse paste.
Add the palm sugar, fresh lime juice, and soy sauce to the mortar, stirring and mashing lightly until the sugar dissolves completely into a tangy dressing.
Drop in the green bean pieces and cherry tomato halves, crushing them gently with the pestle to release their juices without mashing them completely.
Add the shredded raw green papaya and crushed peanuts to the mortar, tossing and bruising everything lightly using a spoon and the pestle for two minutes so the papaya absorbs the flavours, then transfer to a serving plate.