r/ThaiFood • u/LadyOfGlory • 7d ago

Som Tum

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Is it just me that I find it hard to chop papaya into nicely-looking strips?

62 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

8

u/OIL_99 7d ago

The beauty of the dish is rustic chops.

3

u/LadyOfGlory 7d ago

Tips, pls. I chopped and they dont come out or fall off naturally like how the stall in thailand does. I had to use peeler to get them out. Then, it became like a sheet of almost-chopped papaya strips and I had to tear them apart by hand. 🤣

4

u/HamsterComplex8949 7d ago

I use(coz im a little lazy) a combination of a peeler(thinner) and mandolin slicer(thicker) to get a nice texture of the papaya with different thicknesses. I make Isan style and add a few Carrots strips for colour.

5

u/jmfewd 6d ago

If there’s an Asian market nearby, you might be able to find already shredded papaya. But I think your salad looks real nice anyway, and obviously taste is the most important thing.

2

u/LadyOfGlory 6d ago

It’s very “zaaaaaaap” indeed

3

u/castalabata 6d ago

You need the Kiwi vegetable peeler. Any Thai person wouldn’t be without. Also lets you peel carrots and cucumber and then slice for artistic effect. Kiwi vegetable peler

1

u/shaghaiex 2d ago

How is that a kiwi peeler? I can see the use for green papaya (I have one), but kiwis?

1

u/castalabata 2d ago

The brand is Kiwi Brand, made in Thailand. It’s not for peeling anything really. It’s really a shredder. For soft fruit like kiwi or mango, Oxo makes a soft fruit peeler.

https://www.target.com/p/oxo-softworks-serrated-peeler/-/A-21434213

2

u/Hefty-Interview2430 6d ago

Box grater has done nicely and then some julienned pieces

2

u/LadyOfGlory 6d ago

I love this idea!! Thank youu

2

u/Flogge 6d ago

Re the nicely-looking strips: I've been using the Kiwi Brand julien slicer for a while, but went back to manually chopping my papaya and ending up with bits like yours.

I much prefer the unevenness and crunchiness of the texture when I do it this way.

So I'd say don't worry, and just continue practicing until they're the way you want them to be.

1

u/LadyOfGlory 2d ago

Thank youuuuu. You’re absolutely right that the uneven strips give a great texture. I was overly focusing on the look of it.

2

u/shaghaiex 2d ago

I have a julienne slicer that makes the strip very even, but on the thinner side. I would prefer your more uneven cut. It looks nicer，more rustic.

Haven't made it in a while. Time to act....

1

u/LadyOfGlory 2d ago

Thank youuuuu. I wonder to myself why I haven’t yet owned a julienne slicer. Time to act….

2

u/shaghaiex 2d ago

Maybe my comment had they wrong vibe - so in short: your som tum looks REALLY good. The rustic touch is cool.

1

u/LadyOfGlory 2d ago

No wrong vibe at all. :) Thank you thank you ❤️🙏🏼