"Som Tam" Thai Salad

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

"Som Tam" Thai Salad



Traditionally this salad is made with Green Papaya but they are a little hard to get in Carmarthen so I have made this dish, as always, with what I had available. In this case that was carrots and courgette, the latter courtesy of my neighbour's allotment.

 This salad makes a really great accompaniment to Thai food but also works well as a side dish, a starter or just a healthy snack.

 Preparation time is about ten minutes but don't rush if using the Mandolin.
What Thai people call a Salad feels more like a pickle to me as they use citrus juice (lime or lemon), Fish sauce (Nam Pla) and vinegar in their preparation. The Thai term for salad can be confusing for Westerners.
Mandolin with shield
Carrot and Courgette


















Start by shredding your vegetables into thin ribbons, I used a Mandolin with a medium side shredding attachment but a potato peeler and a knife will do the job nicely. If using a Mandolin please take care and always use the shield.

Do the same with the courgette or whatever other vegetable you are using, cucumber, parsnip or swede would also work well. If you can find green papaya locally then you are really making authentic Thai "Som Tam" salad.
Add two finely chopped crushed garlic cloves, some coriander and two small red chillies if you don't want too much heat de-seed but for an authentic Thai kick just slice them thinly.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon or a whole lime, 
I used lemon simply because I had no limes (note to self buy limes), which would have been my preference. Now add a tablespoon each of Thai Fish Sauce (Nam Pla), Rice wine vinegar (I have used Chinese but any oriental rice wine vinegar will do) and, although not usually used in Thai cooking I added some Mirin (Japanese cooking Sake) for added sweetness. You could of course use a sprinkling of sugar instead of the Mirin.
"Som Tam"
Your "Som Tam" is now ready to cover with cling film and put in the fridge until you need it. Ideally you should use this the same day for maximum freshness but the vinegar and citrus juice will preserve this well so it should keep for up to a week without any problem.

 After that it will still be edible but will have lost its crispness and will by then be more like a true pickle.

 I served this as an accompaniment to home made Thai fishcakes with garlic and coriander noodles but it will work well with most Thai food or fish dishes.


Disclaimer: The suggestions and tips on these blog pages are meant to be used in conjunction with common sense. Keeping your family healthy is the priority. Do not use food that is unfit for human consumption and always follow sensible food hygiene guidelines.

  

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/food-leftovers-safety.aspx


Always be careful in the kitchen, we accept no responsibility for any accidents caused as a direct or indirect result of preparing any of these dishes. Children should not be allowed to handle sharp cooking implements without the supervision of an adult. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home Made Chutney

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Home Made Chutney Another great way of preserving food is by making chutney or relish. Although we think of chutney as being Asian or South east Asian in origin they in fact came from Northern Europe as long ago as 500bc. The Romans embraced the method and eventually so did the British empire who took them to tropical regions where they have since been adopted by those countries. The name "Chutney" that we use today is derived from the Hindi word "Chattni" which means "to lick", they were usually sweetened with honey rather than sugar and were added to dishes as a sweetening agent rather than used as a relish as we do now.  Chutneys can be made from almost any combination of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices and are usually grouped as either a sweet or spiced chutney.  Natural preservatives are used to keep the chutney from going mouldy, such as vinegar,  l emon juice or tamarind paste.  You can blend t
Read more

Make more of Lentils

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Make more of L entils Here is one of my favourite dishes for using up odds and ends that makes a great alternative to potatoes or rice as a staple food. It can be used as a base for a meal or stand alone as the meal itself. Lentils originate in Asia and North Africa and are one of our oldest sources of food known to man. This humble relative of the common garden pea is a rich in protein and carbohydrates and is also also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins. There are several different varieties of lentil readily available, most commonly Brown, Red and Green lentils, although Puy and Yellow are stocked in many health and specialist shops.  Which type of lentil you use depends on the kind of dish. They are usually bought dried and it is important to rinse them well before cooking with them. You can soak them to reduce cooking time but to be honest I prefer not to as they absorb so much more flavour that way.  G
Read more

Traditional Welsh Cawl

Image
The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Traditional Welsh Cawl Making leftover food into even tastier dishes is all about using your imagination to its fullest. What better place to start than with a Welsh classic, " C awl ", which in Welsh sim ply means mixture. This is a dish that you will find in rural areas all over the world, wi t h many different names and variations: C aldo, Cazuela, Cock-a-leekie or Ajiaco to name but a few but they all have one thing in common, they are cheap, who lesome, warming and satisfying.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_soup The thing abo ut recycling food is that you need to plan ahead, that way you wa s te little and make far more of the food y ou are cooking. S o what is "Cawl" made from?  Ingredients: 2 Litres of Stock ( see below for method ) A whole chicken carcass (you can also use leftover pieces of Beef or Lam b ) Whatever root vegetables you have; Carrots, Swede, Potatoes , P
Read more