The dish combines the four main tastes of Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chile, salty fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar.

Som tam is often served with sticky rice and chiken or pork. It is also sometimes served over rice noodles and raw vegetables to mitigate the spiciness of the dish.

Ingredients.

• 1 medium dark green papaya
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 green Thai chilies
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup chopped green beans, in 1-in (2.5-cm) pieces
• 2 tablespoons anchovy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sauce
• 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) lime juice or tamarind juice

Howto cook.

1. Peel the papaya and rinse with running water to remove the acid. Remove the seeds and shred the papaya with a grater. Set aside.
2. Place the garlic cloves and the chilies in a mortar and mash with a pestle until crushed into chunks. Place the papaya and the remaining ingredients in the mortar and gently combine all ingredients by mixing with the pestle and a spoon. Serve cold.