About this Dish
Laos's fiery green papaya salad, pounded with fish sauce, lime, and chilies.
History & Origin
The Lao original behind Thailand's som tum, tam mak hoong is traditionally made even spicier and often includes fermented fish sauce (padaek) for pungent depth.
IngredientsServes 3
🥗Green unripe papaya, 1 medium (about 400g), peeled and shredded
🌶️Fresh Thai bird's eye chilies, 4-6 (adjust to heat preference)
🧄Garlic cloves, 3 large
🍋Fresh lime juice, 3 tablespoons (about 2 limes)
🐟Padaek (fermented fish sauce), 2 tablespoons (or substitute with 1.5 tbsp regular fish sauce)
🍅Cherry tomatoes, 8-10, halved
🫘Long beans (yard beans), 6-8 pods, cut into 2-inch pieces
🫙Palm sugar or brown sugar, 1 teaspoon
🦐Dried shrimp, 2 tablespoons
Method
1
Peel and shred the green papaya using a julienne peeler or a sharp knife — you want long thin strips about 3-4 inches long. Soak the shreds briefly in cold water to keep them crisp, then drain and pat dry.2
In a large mortar and pestle, pound the bird's eye chilies and garlic together until broken down into a rough paste. Don't over-pound — you want texture, not a smooth puree.3
Add the dried shrimp and long beans to the mortar and give them a few firm pounds to bruise the beans and crack the shrimp slightly so they release flavor.4
Add the palm sugar, padaek, and lime juice directly into the mortar. Stir and pound gently to dissolve the sugar and combine everything into a dressing.5
Add the shredded papaya and halved cherry tomatoes to the mortar. Using a large spoon in one hand and the pestle in the other, toss and lightly pound everything together — the goal is to bruise the papaya slightly so it absorbs the dressing.6
Taste and adjust the balance: add more lime for sourness, more padaek for saltiness and depth, more chili for heat, or a pinch more sugar to round it out. The flavor should be bold, funky, sour, spicy, and slightly sweet all at once.7
Serve immediately on a plate as-is, alongside sticky rice, fresh cabbage leaves, and grilled meat if desired. Tam mak hoong waits for no one — eat it fresh!User Reviews
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