Lauren Lulu Taylor
Recipe Creator
Central Style Fruit Som Tum is a recipe that holds a special place in my heart. As one of the dishes featured in the cookbook, “Real Thai Cooking” I created with the talented Thai food blogger Chawadee Nulkair, this recipe showcases everything I adore in a dish – a perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty and loaded with lots of fruit, veggies, and nuts for a little protein hit.
Som Tum, the grated and pounded salad that is a beloved staple in Thai cuisine, can be found in every nook and cranny of Bangkok.
While the traditional green papaya som tum takes the limelight, local vendors in the bustling streets of Bangkok offer an array of fruits and vegetables to craft this delightful salad. From cucumbers and long green beans to tart gooseberries and green bananas, the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients
- 2-4 small bird’s eye chilies (or to taste depending on desired spice tolerance)
- 2 Tbsps palm sugar (sweetener of choice including honey, agave, coconut sugar may be substituted)
- 1-3 small cloves garlic (or to taste)
- 3 Tbsps fish sauce
- 2 Tbsps lime juice
- 1 cup long beans, cut into inch-long lengths and bruised in mortar and pestle
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
- 1 cup apple or pineapple, cubed
- 1 cup pomelo or orange, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tbsp dried shrimp, ground into a powder in the spice grinder
- 3 Tbsps roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
1. Grind chilies
Place chilies in mortar and pestle to grind.
2. Pulverize
Add palm sugar and cloves and pulverize.
3. Add wet ingredients
Add fish sauce, lime juice and mix together.
4. Add salad ingredients
In a bowl add salad ingredients, shrimp powder and spoon over dressing and mix together.
5. Decant onto a plate
Pouring from its original container into a new plate.
6. Garnish
Garnish with peanuts and ready to serve.
We hope that you will enjoy this dish. For more great ideas on how to spice up your meals, please see our Recipes.
Lauren Lulu Taylor is the co-founder of the award-winning Artisan Food Company, Secret Kiwi Kitchen. With a passion for all things natural and delicious, the company specialises in selling premium baking mixes and dried edible flowers.
Lulu has also co-authored the cookbook “Real Thai Cooking” and authored her own book on the culinary versatility of edible flowers, titled “Feasting on Flowers”.
With a diverse background as an American Kiwi of European and Asian ancestry, Lulu appreciates cultural diversity and believes in the power of food to connect people from all backgrounds.
Lulu’s love for cooking and creating delicious food products stems from a personal journey. Growing up with a mother who battled cancer, Lulu experienced first hand the importance of using the best, chemical-free ingredients in food prepared at home. This experience ignited her passion for natural foods and a commitment to promoting well-being and connection through her culinary endeavours.
You can also follow Lauren by visiting LaurenLuluTaylor.
