What is Som Tum?
Som Tum is a spicy papaya salad originating in the northeast of Thailand (E-saan Region). Som in E-saan is sour and Tum means pounded. Some foreigners may call it "Papaya Pok Pok" from the sound produced when preparing the dish in a mortar.
The main ingredient is grated unripe papaya, seasoned and pounded to a softened state in a mortar. Chili, garlic, peanut, tomatos, lime, palm sugar and fish sauce are also added while yardlong beans is optional depending on the kind of Som Tum you're ordering. The dish combines the classic 'Thai' favours of sour lime, hot chilli, salty fish sauce and sweetness from the palm sugar. There are many various kinds of Som Tum but the popular ones are Som Tom Thai which is prepared with dried shrimp and bean while Som Tum Pu Kem is prepared with salted preserved crabs or even Som Tum Pon La Mai (fruit Som Tum).
Som Tum is traditionally served with raw water spinach, raw basil, raw morning glory, raw winged beans or raw cabbage. People like eating BBQ chicken or "Gai Yang", sticky rice or "Kao Niew" and other E-saan food on the side. Wnen people say they are going for Som Tum, it doesn't mean they are going only for this dish but that they are really going to eat an E-saan meal which is Som Tum and all of the other E-saan dishes.
One of our favourites Som Tum restaurants in BKK
"Look Kao Niew" (ลูกข้าวเหนียว) or "Sticky Rice's Son" on Lang Suan Soi 7, about 200 metres from the main road (Tel. 02 652 2405). JW Bunny's recommendations are: Som Tum Thai and Som Tum Pu Ma (it is prepared with raw seafood crab), spicy minced duck salad (Laab Ped), deep fried salted chicken (Gai Tod Gluer), deep fried cumin chicken (Gai Tod Cumin), dried pork with fried basil leaf (Moo Dat Diew Kra-pow Grob), E-saan sausages (Sai Grok E-saan), BBQ pork (Moo Yang), BBQ pork neck (Koe Moo Yang), spicy minced pork salad (Laab Gai) and spicy pork salad (Nam Tok Moo). Don't forget to order stickey rice and rice noodles to eat with them.
Enjoy eating E-saan food with JW Bunny's choice......Yum Yum!!
