My Favorite Salad: Som Tam - Thai Green Papaya Salad

Som Tam is one of my favorite Thai dishes because it's crunchy, fresh and drizzled with sweet, sour and spicy sauces that makes it perfect. I have never been to Thailand but I'm familiar to Thai dishes. It's quite popular everywhere I guess, even in my home country.

I tried my first Som Tam when I went to Thai restaurant in Brussels some time ago. It was good but it's not spicy. Well, it was written very spicy but I understand that the level of spiciness is adjusted to Westerner's taste. It was quite expensive though. So I never went back to that restaurant again because I dont think it's worth it.

Since then, when I crave for some Som Tam, I always try to make it by myself. I've been trying some recipes but there's still something missing. I'm not satisfied yet. Then, not a long time ago, I found a small Thai restaurant not far from my apartment and they serve many choices of Thai dishes. When we first got in, they welcomed us very nicely. The restaurant belongs to Thai lady and the waitress is also Thai. They are supeeeer nice. I still remember their hospitality. Of course, I ordered Som Tam and the lady said, "Do you want it to be not spicy, normal spicy or very spicy like we always have in Thailand?". "Very very spicy please because I love very spicy food", I said it proudly. I've been testing some spicy dishes and some chilies in Brussels and so far I can handle it. I thought this Som Tam wouldn't be any spicier.

Then my dish came and I started to taste it. On my first bite, oh it's surprisingly spicy. Quite spicy I might say and it was just the beginning. All the sauce was on the bottom of the bowl so it's getting spicier and spicier. When I mixed it, it's just too spicy for me. I was almost crying. My partner was there and he made fun of me because I always show off to him that I can handle any spicy food whatever level it is. Now, I finally found a very spicy food that I couldn't handle. This is the spiciest dish that I've tried in my whole life. He took so many pictures of me suffering from this dish. It's hard for me to finish the dish but I finally managed to finish the dish. I asked the cook what kind of chili she was using for my Som Tam and she showed me it. She used Thai's bird's eye chili. I forgot to ask her where she buys that because I've never seen it in Asian stores.

Last Friday I went back to that restaurant and ordered Som Tam for take away. This time I asked for less spicy Som Tam but it's not spicy at all. The next day, I went there again :-D I become addicted to their Som Tam, haha.. It was lunch time and it was quiet so I could see how she made it. I asked for her permission if I could see how she makes Som Tam. She said okay, she let me enter her kitchen. I told her that I wanted my Som Tam to be spicier than yesterday but less spicy than the first time. She showed me the whole process and gave me some tips. It's very nice of her. I had the perfect level of spiciness. Next time I know how many chilies I should ask for my Som Tam. Soon, I will try to make Som Tam using her recipe. If I succeed, I'll share it with you :-)

Have a nice week ahead,

All content and photos are mine. Photos were taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000.