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Som Tam with Vermicelli

Som Tam with Vermicelli

Dax Phillips
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Salads
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 unripe green papaya peeled, and shredded
  • 1 clove of garlic peeled
  • 4 Thai bird chilies stems removed (add more/less for heat)
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste or dried shrimp
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 whole lime quartered
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar
  • 1 roma tomato sliced
  • 1/2 lb rice vermicelli cooked
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts optional

Instructions
 

  • Start by cooking your rice vermicelli. You can find this at your local Asian market. Cook until al dente, then drain, and rinse with cold water. Once cooled and drained, set aside into a bowl.
  • Som tam is typically made with an Asian mortar and pestle, and you can also pick this up at any local Asian market. It’s a standard in my house, not only for making som tam, but also fresh salsas on occasion.
  • Add the garlic, and chilies to the to bottom of the mortar. With the pestle, start mashing up the garlic and chilies, almost into a paste. Add the half of the lime, and continue to mash. Add the tomatoes, and lightly smash those as well. Use a spoon as you are mashing with the pestle, mixing along the way. Add the palm sugar, and shrimp paste, and continue to mix and mash. Add the shredded papaya, along with the fish sauce, and continue to lightly bruise the papaya, mixing along the way.
  • When you are ready to serve, add a handful of the rice vermicelli to the bottom of a serving bowl, and top with the som tam mixture. Top with roasted peanuts. Use a fork and spoon to mix everything together, and then dig in.