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Som tam

Som tam

Thai
27$

This spicy, crunchy salad is the taste of Southeast Asia on a plate, made with shredded unripe green papaya and other local fruit and vegetables tossed in a delicious sweet and sour dressing of palm sugar, chilli peppers and lime juice. Originating from Laos, it’s also eaten throughout Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Making a traditional som tam means lots of shredding and pounding with a pestle and mortar, but modern, less messy and time-consuming takes on the traditional dish abound.

Details

  • Cuisine :

    Thai

  • Recipe Type :

    Main

  • Difficulty :

    Medium

  • Preparation Time :

    20 mins

  • Cooking Time :

    10 mins

  • Serves :

    4

Ingredients

  • 2 large courgettes, trimmed

  • 3 good-sized carrots, trimmed

  • 1 large or 2 smaller mangoes (opt for firmer ones, so not too ripe)

  • 1 garlic clove, chopped

  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced lengthways

  • 0.5 tsp sea salt juice

  • 2 limes, zested

  • 1 tsp sugar or 2 teaspoons honey

  • 1 handful large fresh coriander leaves-

Recipe

  • 1

    Roughly chop the fish and place it in a food-processor with the curry paste. Pulse until you have a coarse paste - don't whip it up too finely.

  • 2

    If you don't have a food-processor, just lay the fish and curry paste on a large cutting board and chop with a big knife, pressing with the side of the knife to mash and mix the fish with the curry paste.

  • 3

    Fold in the breadcrumbs and shape into balls. Dust with a little flour to keep them from sticking. You should be able to get eight little fish cakes out of the mixture, giving you two for each person. Pop them into the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.

  • 4

    Meanwhile, make the salad. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the courgettes along their length, then just keep going, making strips of the flesh until you reach the seed pod in the centre. Nibble the seed pod while you cook or thinly slice it and add it to the salad. Peel the carrot in the same way.

  • 5

    Peel one side of the mango using a vegetable peeler and then shave off long, thin slivers of the mango's flesh with the peeler, so it's similar in shape and texture to the courgettes and carrots. Continue around the whole of the mango until you've used most of it up. Save any remaining bits of mango for a fruit salad.

  • 6

    Mix the courgettes, carrot and mango together with the garlic, chilli, salt, lime juice and zest, and sugar or honey. Set aside while you fry the fishcakes.

  • 7

    Press each ball down into a little cake and fry in olive oil until golden on each side. Serve with the som tam salad and garnish with coriander leaves and crushed peanuts.