Photograph of this dish. ssour · CC BY 2.0.
Thai · Thailand
Green Papaya Salad
Also called Som Tum
Shredded green papaya pounded with lime, chili, and a few peanuts.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Som tum is a salad you bruise, not toss politely. A mortar is ideal. A bowl and a wooden spoon will crush the garlic and chili well enough on a weeknight.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
78
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Light
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 12%
- Carbs 66%
- Fat 23%
Suits · Diabetes-friendly
Sugar, fiber, and the starch mix sit in a gentler range. Your own portion still decides the day.
Suits · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium stay modest, with some fiber.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 3.3 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 589 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
The heat is more than a gentle bowl wants.
Watch · Kid-friendly
The heat is above a mild mark.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Roasted peanuts, unsalted34 kcal
- Green papaya32 kcal
- Palm sugar15 kcal
- Green beans8 kcal
- Cherry tomato7 kcal
- Fish sauce3 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 7.8. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 105 kcal. Two portions would be about 210 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Fish, Peanuts
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 79 kcal after the change.
Use tamari and lime instead of fish sauce.
A fish-free dressing. It will not taste identical, and it will still be salty. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Use one chili, or remove the seeds.
Keeps the salad’s crunch with less heat. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 105 kcal | 5% |
| Protein | 3.3 g | 7% |
| Carbohydrate | 18.3 g | 7% |
| Fiber | 4 g | 14% |
| Total sugars | 8.9 g | 18% |
| Fat | 2.8 g | 4% |
| Saturated fat | 0.5 g | 3% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 589 mg | 26% |
| Potassium | 227 mg | 5% |
| Calcium | 19 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 31 mg | 7% |
| Zinc | 0.3 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin A | 8 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 61.7 mg | 69% |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 1.4 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 40 mcg | 33% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.3 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 0.1 mg | 8% |
| Folate · estimate | 47 mcg | 12% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mcg | 2% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- A middle path: useful food, with one or two numbers worth watching.
- Fish here is a commonly eaten, lower-mercury choice when fully cooked. Follow your own pregnancy fish guidance.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Scale
- Mixing bowl
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Green papaya, julienned4 cups400 g
Green beans, cut1 cup80 g
Cherry tomato, halved1 cup150 g
Garlic2 cloves6 g
Thai chili2 chilies8 g
Palm sugar1 tbsp16 g
Fish sauce2 tbsp27.27 ml
Lime juice3 tbsp45 ml
Roasted peanuts, unsalted, roasted3 tbsp25 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use tamari and lime instead of fish sauce.. A fish-free dressing. It will not taste identical, and it will still be salty.
- Use one chili, or remove the seeds.. Keeps the salad’s crunch with less heat.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Pound garlic and chili with the palm sugar until they become a rough paste.
AI-generated photo.
2Add green beans and tomatoes and bruise them so they release juice.
AI-generated photo.
3Add fish sauce and lime. Taste. It should be hot, sour, salty, and a little sweet.
AI-generated photo.
4Toss with the papaya until every strand looks wet. Add most of the peanuts.
AI-generated photo.
5Serve immediately, with the last peanuts on top.
How you know it is done
Green Papaya Salad is done when it looks like the finished plate in the last step, with the seasoning tasted and adjusted.
If it goes wrong
- Green Papaya Salad looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Green Papaya Salad spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Green Papaya Salad, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven, not a raw salad.
How this dish helps your daily life
- A raw, crunchy plate next to richer curries, or a light lunch on its own.
- Green papaya and beans bring volume and fiber for very little oil.
Notes
Pregnancy. Fully raw vegetables should be washed well. Fish sauce is cooked in production but very salty. Peanuts are optional.
Children. Too hot for many children unless you leave the chili out.
From the kitchen. Ripe orange papaya will turn this into a sweet fruit salad. You want the firm green one.
Allergens in the required list: Fish, Peanuts.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.