Spicy Thai salads are always a crowd-pleaser – especially when you throw noodles into the mix! Green papaya is the hero in this dish, and its firm, crispy texture does such a good job of soaking up all those som tum flavours. Serve this up as part of a banquet feast to bring freshness to the table
Thai Som Tum Noodles
100g (3.5 oz) dried rice vermicelli noodles
3 garlic cloves
2 birdseye chillies (use more or less to taste)
¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked in water for 5 minutes to soften
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
2 snake beans, cut into 3cm-long batons (alternatively use green beans)
1 tomato, cut into wedges
200g (7 oz) shredded green papaya*
4 tbsp shaved palm sugar
4 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp lime juice
- Soak the noodles in warm water for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Drain and use scissors to chop into more manageable lengths. Set aside for later.
- Use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic and chillies to a rough paste. Add the dried shrimp, peanuts, snake beans and tomato and pound to crush the ingredients further. Add the green papaya, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. Lightly pound and mix until well combined.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked noodles and the papaya mixture. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Notes: – Green papaya is unripe papaya. It can be found at Asian or Thai grocery stores.
