- Som tam
Som tam or Som tum (Thai: ,
IPA : som ɗam) also known as Tam mak hoong (Lao: ??????????, Isan: ตำมักหุ่ง,IPA : ɗam mak huŋ) is a spicysalad made from shredded unripenedpapaya originally fromLaos and Lao-settledIsan region of northeastern Thailand. Variations of the dish are found throughout Laos and Thailand, as well as in the West, where it is more commonly known by its Thai version and Thai name. A similar dish is also eaten in Cambodia, where it is known asbok l'hong . It is often served withsticky rice (Lao: , Thai/Isan: , IPA: kʰaːw nio) andgai yang (Lao: ປິງໄກ່, IPA: piŋ gɑj, Isan: ไก่ย่าง, gɑj ɲːaŋ, Thai: ไก่ย่าง, IPA: gɑj jːaŋ). It is also sometimes served overrice noodles and raw vegetables to mitigate the spiciness of the dish, or simply as a snack by itself with crispypork rinds .* [http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/PapayaSalad.htm Thai Green Papaya Salad Recipe (with photo)]
Ingredients
The dish combines the four main tastes of Lao/
Thai cuisine : sour lime, hot chile,salt y fish sauce, and sweetness added bypalm sugar . In Laos and Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes, but traditionally, a typical tam mak hoong will contain some or all of the following items:*Chile (Lao: ພິກ, Isan: พริก, IPA: pʰik, IPA: pʰrik)
*Sugar (sometimes alsopalm sugar
*Garlic (Lao: ພະກເທິຍມ, paktʰiːam, Isan: กระเทียม, IPA: gaʔtʰiːam, Thai: กระเทียม, IPA: graʔtʰiːam)
*Lime (Lao: ມະນາວ, Thai/Isan: มะนาว, IPA: maʔnaːw)
*Fish sauce (Lao: ນ້ຳປາ, น้ำปลา, IPA: nam paː, Thai: น้ำปลา, IPA: nam plaː)
*Brined crabs (Lao: ປູດອງ, Isan: ปูดอง, IPA: pudɔŋ, Thai: ปูเต็ม, IPA: puɗem)
*Shrimp paste (Lao: ກະປີ, Thai/Isan: กะปิ, IPA: gaʔpiː)
*Padaek (Lao: ປາແດກ, Isan: ปลาแดก, IPA: paːdɛːk, Thai: ปลาร้า, IPA: paːraː)
*Yardlong beans (Lao: ໝາກຖ່ັວ, Isan: หมากถั่ว, IPA: maːktʰua, Thai: ถั่วฝักยาว, IPA: tʰuafakyaːw)
*Tomatoes (Lao: ໝາກເລ່ນ, Isan: หมากเล่น, IPA: maːk leːn, Thai: มะเขือเทศ, IPA: maʔkʰɯːatʰeːt)
*Hog Plums (่Lao: ມະກອກ, Thai/Isan: มะกอก, maʔgɔːk)"Isan people also refer to tomatoes as เขอเคอ (IPA: kʰɤːkʰɤː) and, although rare, may refer togai yang as ไก่ปิง, pronounced the same as Lao ປິງໄກ່."Names
ຕໍາໝາກຫຸ່ງ literally means 'pounded papaya', where "tam" means 'pounded' and "mak hoong" is the word for 'papaya'. In Thai, papayas are มะละกอ (IPA: maʔlaʔgɔː). In Isan, a common variant of "mak hoong" is บักหุ่ง ("bak hoong") which means the same thing. The Thai name, ส้มตำ ("som tam") means 'sour pounded'. To specifically refer to the dish as prepared traditionally in Laos or Isan, it is known as ส้มตำลาว or "som tam Lao" or simply as "tam Lao".
Variations
The Central Thai version tends to be quite mild and much sweeter, in comparison, and often contains crushed peanuts, and less likely to have padaek or brined crab. Dried
brine shrimp are also used in this version, commonly referred to as ส้มตำรามา or "som tam rama". There are also versions that are made with unripenedmangoes ,cucumbers ,carrots , and other firm vegetables or unripened fruits.External links
* [http://laocuisine.la/index.php?s=papaya Papaya Salad recipes from laocuisine.la]
* [http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/green-papaya-salad/ Som Tam Thai recipe from realthairecipes.com]
* [http://ส้มตํา.th SomTam (ส้มตํา)]
* [http://thailandtravelandfood.blogspot.com/2007/10/recipe-green-papaya-salad-som-tam.html Vegetarian Som Tam Recipe from Thailand Travel & Food]
* [http://www.joysthaifood.com/2007/01/thai-food-recipe-som-tam-bla-rah/ Som Tam Bla-rah (with fermented fish paste from Northeast Thailand)]References
* Cummings, Joe. (2000). "World Food: Thailand". UK: Lonely Planet Publishers. pp. 157-8. ISBN:1864500263
* Williams, China ‘’et al’’. (). ‘’Southeast Asia on a Shoestring: Big Trips on Small Budgets.’’ Lonely Planet. p. 31. ISBN:1741041643
* Brissenden, Rosemary. (2007). "Southeast Asian food: Classic and Modern Dishes from Indonesia, Malaysia, .." Tuttle Publishing. pp. 434 - 439. ISBN:0794604889
* McDermoot, Nancie. (1992). "Real Thai: The Best of Thailand’s Regional Cooking." Chronicle Books. pp. 121 - 146. ISBN:0811800172ee also
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Bok l'hong
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