ソムタムはラオスやタイで食べられる青いパパイヤを使ったサラダ。二週間前私はラオス旅でほとんど毎日ソムタムを食べました。

それで先週に偶然で友達にいっぱいグリーンパパヤ貰った。

今日その懐かしい味自分の台所でもう一度見つかれました！

Two weeks ago during my trip to Laos I was eating Som Tam Green Papaya Salad almost every day. By chance, a friend sent some green papaya from southern Japan. Today I tried to recreate Som Tam in my kitchen. The results were pretty authentic. You might like to give it a try.

Ingredients:

3 large garlic cloves

7 Thai chilis (‘prik’)

1/3 cup of dried shrimp

4.5 tablespoons of fish sauce (I prefer Nuoc Mam Nhi)

4.5 tablespoons of brown sugar

The juice of 1 freshly squeezed lime (about 2 tablespoons)

1 peeled and shredded green papaya (mine measured about 6 cups)

6 small ripe tomatoes cut into wedges (or 1 can tomatoes. I used this as currently the tomatoes on sale in Japan are not as ripe and juicy as the recipe needs)

1 cup of boiled and sliced green beans

Half a cup of ground, roasted peanuts (optional)

Half a cup of raisins (optional)

Chopped coriander (to taste)

材料：

にんにくニンニクの 3片

タイチリ 7個

干しえび 1.3カップ

ナンプラー 4.5大さじ

砂糖 4.5大さじ

ライムジュース 3大さじ

グリーんパパヤ 6カップ

トマト 6個　（また、缶詰トマト 1缶）

すこしゆでたインゲン豆　1カップ

みじん切りにしたピーナツ 0.5カップ

レーズン 0.3カップ

香菜（シャンツァイ）好みで

Peel the skin from the green papaya.

パパヤの皮をむいて

Halve the papaya and remove the white seeds. They look kinda cool!

半分に切って、種を捨てるて

Cut the papaya in thin strips lengthwise, and then, cutting across the grain, shred the papaya into long thin strips. It takes a bit of practise. Using a food processor is allowed you know, but I think this is more Thai-style.　パパヤをみじん切りにして

These are the main seasonings. Clockwise, from the top: dried shrimp, coriander, mouse-shit peppers (‘prik’), lime, green beans, garlic.

材料です：干しえび、香菜、タイチリ、ライム、インゲン豆、にんにく

The sliced papaya looks something like this.

みじん切りのパパヤ

Put the garlic, the chilis and the shrimp into a mortar and pestle, and pound into a paste. This involves elbow grease. I wouldn’t blame anyone for getting out the food processor.

干しえび、タイチリ、ライム、にんにくをすり鉢ですて。少し力がかかりますのでフードプロセッサでもOKでしょう？

After a while, it looks something like this.

この感じになります

FYI, this is my favourite fish sauce. It is from Vietnam from the island of Phu Cuoc (I’ve been to the factory, and I prefer this to the Vietnamese fish sauce made in Phan Thiet). It is Nuoc Mam Nhi, the most pricey, as it is the fish sauce equivalent of Premier Cru. In this recipe though Nan Pla, or even the Japanese Ishiru or Shottsuru work fine.

タイのナンプラー、ベトナムのヌックマム、または日本のしょっつる、いしるでもOKです。これは私達大好きのベトナム製ヌックマムニーです　（ベトナム語で「ニー」＝「一番搾り立て」）

Now add the fish sauce, the sugar and the lime juice, and keep pounding. It should look something like this when you’ve finished.

ナンプラー、砂糖、ライムジュースもつり鉢煮入りてとすて

Add the beans and tomatoes and the coriander to the papaya, and gently mix it all together to allow the flavours to intermingle. Like this.

インゲン豆、トマト、香菜もあわせて

Serve in individual dishes or a large bowl, with the chopped peanuts as garnish. Voila! Som tam.

トッピングはピーナツとレーズン。はい、終わり。ソムタムです！

The only problem now is what to do with the remaining five green papaya!

あああ！まだまだ残っている！