Som Thum Tua-Thai (Som-Thum-Style Green Beans)

When I was younger I would return home from summer vacations in Thailand with a craving for som thum, a popular green papaya salad I would eat during my trips. But back in my hometown of Nashville, green papaya was not easily accessible at that time, so my mother made it work with what she had, satiating my request for the salad without sacrificing the distinct notes of a classic som thum. My mother’s solve? Using carrots and/or green beans in lieu of the papaya. I respectfully accepted this as the closest (and best) alternative in my landlocked Southern state. However, and with great irony, on an annual family vacation, I found myself at a high-end restaurant where I was served a carrot som thum: the restaurant’s spin on the green papaya versions. Many years later I still find myself using one of my mother’s trusty papaya alternatives—green beans—to make this dish, not purely for accessibility sake, but because the texture and flavor are really next-level (perhaps my mom was a trendsetter?).

Som thum has many regionally specific variations. In central Thailand (Bangkok), where my family is from, som thum Thai is made with fish sauce, peanuts, and dried shrimp—probably the most subtle of versions. Som thum pa la, made with fermented fish or crab, is associated with the northeastern Isaan region of Thailand where raw Thai eggplant is also incorporated, while som thum kapi, made with shrimp paste, is common in southern regions like Songkla and Surat Thani. Despite these differences there are foundational similarities of palm sugar, tomatoes, Thai chile, raw garlic, and skin-on lime slices that once combined in a mortar and pestle create an unrivaled flavor nirvana. Som thum is great as a sidekick to char-grilled chicken or barbecue pork and is commonly eaten with cabbage wedges and sticky rice.

If the mixture starts splashing while you smash, drape a dish towel over the mortar and pestle and continue pounding to prevent any mess. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a zip-top bag and rolling pin to smash the ingredients.