Thai Cuisine and Lifestyle |153
Somtum
The Sensational Way of Spicy Salad
Although, Papaya is not a native plant of Southeast Asia, like Asia chilli which originated in America, both of them
have been used as raw materials for popular Thai dishes especially “Somtum”, for long time. What is the charm of Somtum
which makes it as the forever favorite dish for Thai people? We may have to start from the origin of Khaoman-Somtum.
“Khaoman-Somtum” is originated in the Central region of Thailand, as one of the Royal Thai Dishes, which is
normally eaten along with deep-fried shredded salted beef topped with fried shallot. It is assumed that the dish was
originally from a royal Persian concubine as Khaoman or rice cooked with coconut milk which is Muslim cooking style.
The oldest recipe of Khaoman-Somtum was written in the cooking book named “Tumrub Sai Yaovabha” by
Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid. Main ingredients of the dish are Khaoman or steamed rice with coconut milk and
Somtum — which is shredded papaya mixed with pounded dried shrimp, garlic, chilli and seasoned with tamarind paste,
lime juice, good fish sauce, and sugar. Khaoman-Somtum is consumed along with fresh vegetables (such as Thonglang
leaves, young star-gooseberry leaves) and deep-fried vegetables such as; deep-fried polyscias and deep-fried flowers.
There are some recipes which include dried shrimp and grounded peanut as ingredients. Those are different from the
Northeastern Somtam.
• Somtum Thai