Salad: Crystal Koenig’s Amazing and Spicy Som Tom

Crystal is a former Elemental Cleanser and Yogini.  She loves to cook.

This makes 2 servings

6 green beans
1-clove garlic
5 cherry tomatoes
chili peppers, 1-2.
(Be careful not to touch your face after handling these!! Wash hands after handling)
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce  (soy sauce is fine too)
1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar (regular sugar can be used)
3/4    lime
2 cups green papaya, shredded (carrots are a great substitute, 2-4 whole)
2 tablespoons peanuts, toasted and crushed (optional)

Traditionally in Thailand, Som Tom (green papaya salad) is usually made in a clay mortar with a wooden pestle and a spatula. However, if you do not have a big enough mortar or don’t have one at all, a cutting board and a sturdy bowl will do. Crush the garlic first. Then add the green beans and halved cherry tomatoes. Crush a few times just to bruise the beans and get the juice out of the tomato.  Add chili peppers and crush them just enough to release the hotness, unless you like your salad really hot. Add the fish sauce, limejuice and palm sugar/sugar to the bowl. Add green papaya and mix well. Top with the peanuts.

Can be served with the following: rice, green beans, slivers of cabbage or sticky rice (sweet rice, glutinous rice), Thai basil.

The balance of fish sauce, limejuice, palm sugar/sugar and peppers listed here are guidelines. Som tom is an individual dish that you will find you might like yours with more fish sauce or chilies than what the recipe calls for.
You can find shredded green papaya at Asian supermarkets or Jungle Jim’s. However, if you can only find whole green papaya, the papaya can be peeled and shredded using a regular cheese grater. When you get closer to the center, you will see the white seeds inside. Stop and move onto another part of the papaya. Discard any seeds that get into the salad.

Also carrots can be used. 2-4 whole carrots would work.