SOM TAM is Thailand's most famous Food
What is Som Tam?
Som tam or Som tum also known as Tam mak hoong is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya. Som tam is derived from a traditional dish in Laos called Tam Mak Hoong. The dish combines the four main tastes of Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chilly, salty fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. In Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes, but traditionally, a typical som tam will contain some or all of the following items: Chili Sugar Garlic Lime Fish sauce Brined crabs, these are not marine crabs, but local salted black crabs found in the flooded rice fields and canals. Isaan people eat the entire crab, including the shell. Shrimp paste Padaek String beans Tomatoes Hog Plums Som tam is often served with sticky rice khao nio and gai yang (fried chicken) It is also sometimes served over rice noodles and raw vegetables to mitigate the spiciness of the dish, or simply as a snack by itself with crispy pork rinds. Variations of the dish are found throughout 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 as bok l'hong. 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. These are typically raw, so the Thai government periodically warns about hepatitis risk. Dried brine shrimp are also used in this version, commonly referred to as som tam rama. There are also versions that are made with unripe mangoes, cucumbers, carrots, and other firm vegetables or unripe fruits.
How to make Som Tam.
Ingredients: 5 peppers, 3 garlic, 1 tomato (sliced), 1 eggplant (sliced), 1 fermented crab, 1 handful chopped papaya, 1tbsp.fish sauce, 3 tbsp. fermented fish juice (Bla rah), 2 pcs lemon , 1 tsp. sugar or palm sugar.
1. Pound chilli peppers and garlic together. Add tomato, eggplant and fermented crab. Mix it with fish sauce, bla rah, lemon and sugar.
2. Use a pestle to crush and mix all the ingredients together, starting with garlic, chillies and the rest.
3. Put papaya in and mix it by pestle or spoon. Now your som tam bla rah is ready to be served.
4. Lay fresh vegetable, cucumber, cabbage, string bean or morning glory for example by the side. Cucumber is good for taking away some of the spiciness of the chillies. The same too by each bite with some rice. Eating som tam plain without rice is sac religious in Thailand.
