If you are looking for an awesome Thai recipe at home, I recommend trying this Thai Savory Fruit Salad that can be made with pretty much any fruit you like.
This unique dish is adapted from papaya salad; you can often find it at night markets in Thailand. The best part about this distinctive take on fruit salad is its rich Thai flavors, with a touch of spiciness, sourness, saltiness, and sweetness all in one.
Thai Savory Salad offers a taste of tropical fruits blended with basic ingredients commonly found in Thai households. The cooking process is not difficult; there is no need to use an oven or heat anything.
Simply use a clay mortar or wooden mortar, and the fruit salad requires gentle pounding that aims to bruise but not smash the main ingredients.
For the selection of fresh fruits, you can use any fruit you prefer, ensuring a balanced taste between sweetness and sourness. Here are some ideas for fruits you can use, such as green apples, pineapple, dragon fruit, guava, seedless grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, and carrots. Simply toss all the fruits with chili, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice.
This recipe is straightforward to make requiring only about 20 minutes. This dish can serve as an appetizer, or you can enjoy it for lunch, especially if you're currently on a diet.
In terms of taste, there's no one right answer. You can adapt the dish however you like. If you prefer spiciness, feel free to add more chili. If the fruits you have are overly sweet, you can increase the lime juice to balance the taste.
Give this dish a try. Enjoy!
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- ½ cup green apple
- ½ cup dragon fruit
- ½ cup guava
- ½ cup sweet corn, cooked
- 5-10 seedless grapes, halved
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 1 handful shredded carrot
- 5-7 red chili
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Authentic Thai Savory Fruit Salad (Som Tum Phon La Mai) Recipe
1 First, gather all the essential ingredients.
2 Cut all the fruits into bite-sized pieces.
3 Use a large clay or wooden mortar to crush the chili and garlic.
4 Add the palm sugar and fish sauce.
5 Use the pestle to thoroughly combine the chili, garlic, fish sauce, and palm sugar until the palm sugar is completely melted.
6 Squeeze the lime juice into the sauce mixture.
7 Add the tomato to the mortar and use the pestle to gently bruise the tomato to release its juices.
8 Add the mixed fruits and pound them gently, just enough to bruise them; do not smash!
9 Use the spoon to assist the pestle in gently mixing the fruits.
10 And that's it. Transfer everything to the plate, including the liquid. Serve and enjoy!
Other Thai Recipes You Might Like
Here are some of my favorite Thai that I think you might like. For more Thai cuisine, check out my Thai recipe page.
Authentic Thai Savory Fruit Salad (Som Tum Phon La Mai) Recipe
Looking for a unique fruit salad dish with an Asian twist? Check out our easy-to-follow Thai savory fruit salad recipe (Som Tum Phon La Mai).
Ingredients
- ½ cup green apple
- ½ cup dragon fruit
- ½ cup guava
- ½ cup sweet corn, cooked
- 5-10 seedless grapes, halved
- 1 tomato, quartered
- 1 handful shredded carrot
- 5-7 red chili
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
Directions
- First, gather all the essential ingredients.
- Cut all the fruits into bite-sized pieces.
- Use a large clay or wooden mortar to crush the chili and garlic.
- Add the palm sugar and fish sauce.
- Use the pestle to thoroughly combine the chili, garlic, fish sauce, and palm sugar until the palm sugar is completely melted.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the sauce mixture.
- Add the tomato to the mortar and use the pestle to gently bruise the tomato to release its juices.
- Add the mixed fruits and pound them gently, just enough to bruise them; do not smash!
- Use the spoon to assist the pestle in gently mixing the fruits.
- And that’s it. Transfer everything to the plate, including the liquid. Serve and enjoy!
