Vegan Som Tam Ma Muang (Thai Green Mango Salad)

Name: Quick Vegan Som Tam Ma Muang (Thai Green Mango Salad)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 clove garlic; 1 bird's eye chilli; 3 tbsp lime juice; 3 tbsp all-purpose soy sauce ((or tamari if gluten-free)); 2 tbsp palm sugar; 1-2 tbsp vegan fish sauce; 1 green/unripe mango (grated); 1 medium red onion (finely sliced); 1 large tomato (sliced); 1 large red pepper; 1 medium carrot (grated); 50 g red cabbage (finely chopped); 50 g green cabbage (shredded); 100 g bean sprouts; 1 tbsp crushed peanuts (unsalted); 2-3 large spring onions (finely sliced); coriander leaves (torn)

5:2 Diet, Recipes, Salad, Spicy, Street Food

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Ready in just 20 minutes, this vegan som tam is an incredibly simple, yet wholly delicious Thai salad made from crunchy vegetables, dressed with a fresh and zingy hot, sour, salty, sweet sauce.

Ready in 20 mins, vegan som tam is a simple, delicious Thai salad made with crunchy vegetables dressed in a fresh and zingy hot, sour, salty, sweet sauce. | yumsome.com

The taste explosion that is som tam (som = sour, tam = pounded) is usually made with shredded green papaya, and often accompanies sticky rice and laab (which is actually a Lao dish). This version, however, was taught to me by my dear friend, Aye (owner of Anchan in Chiang Mai), is made with green mangoes (ma muang), and is popular throughout Northern Thailand.

Prior to Aye's cooking lesson, many were the times I'd tried to eat som tam in Thailand but without fail, it was always far too spicy for me to be able to eat more than a couple of mouthfuls. Even when I'd ask for it to be phet farang (foreigner spicy, i.e. fit for chilli wimps like me)! I was so pleased when Aye taught me how to make it myself!

Ingredients for vegan som tam ma muang

Dressing: garlic, bird's eye chilli, lime juice, all-purpose soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), palm sugar, vegan fish sauce
Salad: unripe mango, red onion, tomato, carrot, cabbage, red pepper, bean sprouts
Toppings: spring onions, crushed peanuts

As can see, like most Thai dishes, this som tam is made from very simple ingredients, and what you actually put into the salad is inherently customisable.

If you don't want to use unripe mango, use green apples (e.g. Granny Smith). Or indeed, sour papaya! As long as you have a good balance of crunchy, sweet, and sour, you can customise this as you see fit.

If you want to add more chilli to this som tam then feel free to do so. Even after all these years, I'm still building my tolerance, which means I don't make this dish anywhere near as hot as Thais do. Even so, this is still a good deal hotter than I was first able to tolerate when we first moved to Thailand in early 2012.

If you can't find bird's eye chillies, you can use other evil varieties, such as pequins. Or, if you're truly wimpish (hello!), use a regular red chilli instead.

Harry Potter steam ears — *An accurate representation of me eating too much chilli*

How to make som tam ma muang

Traditionally, som tam, as its name suggests, is made in a large clay mortar, called a kruk, with all of the ingredients pounded together. If you want to make it like this, it's very simple...

- Pound the garlic, and chilli together for a couple of minutes, until they become a paste.
- Leaving the garlic and chilli paste in the mortar, add your cabbage, and gently break up the fibres with the pestle.
- Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and the peanuts, plus the rest of the vegetables, and continue to gently pound, while moving the salad around the mortar to ensure everything receives its fair share of the dressing and garlic. Do this for five minutes or so.
- Pile the som tam onto a couple of plates, drizzle over any dressing left in the mortar, add a little bit of coriander leaf (cilantro), and tuck in.

Alternatively, you could just toss all of the salad ingredients and dressing in a large bowl, top, and serve!

Tips for making som tam

If you can't get - or don't have - coconut palm sugar (sometimes called toddy sugar), you can use jaggery. It's more than an adequate substitute.
You can use any crunchy vegetable or sour fruit which holds its texture, colour, and shape, and is OK to eat raw; turnip, swede, banana flower, green papaya (of course) - whatever you want.

Check out some other vegan Thai recipes while you're here!

You'll love this vegan som tam ma muang

Because it's...

spicy
sour
sweet
laden with colourful veggies
packed with vitamins
full of protein and fibre
good for you
easy to make
really, really yummy

Whether you make this using traditional or modern methods or not, and whichever veggies you use, I'm sure that you'll love this som tam ma muang. Gin hai aroi kha!

What's your favourite Thai dish?

📖 Recipe

Quick Vegan Som Tam Ma Muang (Thai Green Mango Salad)

Ready in 20 mins, vegan som tam is a simple, delicious Thai salad made with crunchy vegetables dressed in a fresh and zingy hot, sour, salty, sweet sauce.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sides

Cuisine: Thai

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 20

Makes (slide to adjust): servings

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 clove garlic
1 bird's eye chilli
3 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoon all-purpose soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free)
2 tbsp palm sugar
1-2 tablespoon vegan fish sauce

For the salad:

1 green/unripe mango grated
1 medium red onion finely sliced
1 large tomato sliced
1 large red pepper
1 medium carrot grated
50 g red cabbage finely chopped
50 g green cabbage shredded
100 g bean sprouts
1 tablespoon crushed peanuts unsalted

Toppings:

2-3 large spring onions finely sliced
coriander leaves torn

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Method 1

Pound the garlic and chilli together for a couple of minutes, until you have a coarse paste.
Leaving this paste in the mortar, add your cabbage, and gently break up the fibres with the pestle.
Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and the peanuts, plus the remainder of the vegetables, and continue to gently pound, while moving the salad around the mortar to ensure everything receives its fair share of the dressing and paste. Do this for five minutes or so.
Pile the som tam onto a couple of plates, drizzle over any dressing left in the mortar, and top with some spring onion and a little bit of coriander leaf (cilantro).
Serve immediately.

Method 2:

Pound the garlic and chilli together to make a paste, place in a small jug or bowl.
Add the rest of the dressing ingredients, and mix well, until the sugar has dissolved.
Taste, and adjust if necessary; the flavour cycle needs to be hot, sour, salty, sweet – in that order.
Put the salad ingredients into a large bowl, and pour over the dressing.
Toss everything together, so that all the veggies are well-coated.
Top with spring onions, and coriander leaf.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Quick Vegan Som Tam Ma Muang (Thai Green Mango Salad)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 298 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Sodium 1543mg64%

Carbohydrates 64g21%

Fiber 9g36%

Sugar 45g50%

Protein 10g20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe?Do mention @yums0me and/or tag #yums0me - I'd love to see how yours turned out!

DisclaimerMeasurements in parenthesis are approximate; it is beyond the scope of yumsome to be able to provide pinpoint-accurate ingredient quantities for every type of measuring utensil. As a guideline however, I make the assumption that:

1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
1 fl oz = US = 30 ml

Further information may be found here