Lightly pounding and tossing shreds of green papaya in the bowl of the mortar allows it to absorb the sweet, salty, sour, spicy paste while preserving the salad’s crisp crunch. I’m always mesmerized ...

If you're looking for a light, refreshing dish, you can't go wrong with som tam Thai. Also known as Thai green papaya salad, this Southeast Asian dish offers a perfect balance of sweetness, savoriness ...

When summer heat feels relentless, sometimes all you crave is something light, tangy, and instantly refreshing. That's where Som Tam comes in, a vibrant bowl of raw papaya salad that wakes up your ...

The perfect som tam. Photograph: Felicity Cloake for the GuardianAddictively hot and refreshingly crunchy, this Thai staple has been called the world’s best salad. But how long should you pound those ...

Som tam, the ever-popular Thai spicy papaya salad, is ranked fifth in the latest list of the top 500 best dishes issued by Lonely Planet travel guide. The popular magazine for travellers recently ...

What could be hotter than walking through Chatuchak market in summer? Not much you’d think, but add spicy food to the mix and the temperature does seem to rise. Now what could be even hotter than ...

Tierney Plumb is an editor of Eater’s Northeast region, covering D.C., Boston, Philly, and New York. A chalkboard menu describes orders of pounded salads — heavy on green papaya, fish sauce, lime, and ...

This fiery little salad is one of Thailand’s best known culinary exports (despite persistent rumours that it migrated over the border from Laos relatively recently) – and justly so. It’s at once ...

The Thai dish of som tam, or green papaya salad, is wonderfully refreshing. In restaurants, it's served as the cook makes it. But Thailand’s street stalls and specialist som tam shops will tailor the ...