Saturday- aku half day, balik je keje ibu ayah ajak gi Padang Besar mmg menggedik la aku nak gi sbb ibu kate nak cari barang2 wat SOM TAM..ermm pasni sure aku tere wat somtam baru la betul darah keturunan Thai..heheh.. Sampai je kat Padang Besar aku ngan ibu trus cari kedai regular yang ibu
selalu gi, kat situ sume ade, so mmg dapat la sume barang2 nk wat SOMTAM, originally from Thai..bahan2nyer ialah : Gula Somtam, Squid Sauce, Air Limau, Udang Kering, haa ni barang2 yg kena beli kat cni, barang2 lain yang kena guna wat somtan : bawang putih, cili api, kacang tanah, betik muda, tomato, kacang panjang erm asenye complete dah kott..hehe.. mmg sedap cukup pedas, cukup masam, kalau makan 2,3 hari berturut2 confirm cirit birit hahah (cakap berdasarkan pengalaman) huuhuhu... Sume tu belakang kira yg penting SEDAPP.. Aroi cing cing...hehe ok ok back to the topic...haa pas beli bahan2 nk wat, ibu siap beli lesung somtam...cute sgtt nk tgk aku bgambar ngan lesung somtam --------
Thailand’s popular Papaya is the base of this tempting salad, but while in the west we only eat ripe papaya, in Thailand it is the green ones that are used. The unripe, green papaya is sliced into julienne strips which are then pounded to release the perfume and flavour in the mortar and pestle. This is where the magic takes place because this is where the rest of the ingredients are added as the maker (usually a woman – even a street vendor) pounds away.
Ingredients may vary from region to region, but generally, they are the same wherever you have som tam, papaya the base, then sliced long beans, tomatoes, dried shrimps, chillies and garlic – lots of garlic.
Now comes the difficult bit, adding just the right quantity of saltiness and sugar. Fish sauce goes in first, then palm sugar and lime juice. Whether buying from a street vendor, or from an “Asian table” at a buffet in a 5* restaurant, the maker of the Som Tam will continually taste it and it is usual to ask the buyer to taste it also. Thais are obsessive about their som tam and will always tell the woman exactly how to make it, objecting if too much sugar or not enough garlic is put in. The dish is naturally high in vitimins A & C and the immune boosting properties of garlic.
As a foreigner buying som tam, just smile and point to what you think you would like, more chillies, less garlic perhaps? Then when it is in your hands, breathe in the aroma, dip your chopsticks into this sweet, spicey, pungent and hot ,essential Thai dish and enjoy.
Som Tam is more than a national dish, it is a national pastime, making it, eating it and watching other people enjoy it