Turn up the heat and surrender to the mouth watering flavors of Thai cooking with this cracking menu that combines the best of sweet, sour, hot and salty.

Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad)

Serves 4; 20 minutes

Moderately easy

Som tam is a spicy salad made with unripe papaya. The key flavors come from the sour lime, hot chili, salty fish sauce and sweet palm sugar. Traditionally the ingredients are pounded in a mortar but you can process them separately and toss together in a salad bowl as well.

Dark green papaya 400g, shredded and chilled

Garlic cloves 6, peeled

Green bird’s eye chilies 6

Long beans 40g, chopped and blanched

Palm sugar 40g + extra to taste

Dark soya sauce 1tbsp

Lemon juice 2 tsp + extra to taste

Fish sauce 1 tbsp

Cherry tomatoes 8, slightly sour

Peanuts 30g, dry-roasted and crushed

Put the papaya in a colander and pass it through running water, then drain.

In a mortar, roughly pound the garlic and the chilies with a pestle. Add the chopped beans and pound until crushed. Add the palm sugar, soya sauce, lemon juice and fish sauce and stir well. Add the tomatoes and press gently with the pestle. Add the peanuts and the papaya and stir until Continue reading “Bold Flavors of Thai !” »