Savoury Fruit Salad (Tum Polamai)

June 6, 2012

Savoury Fruit Salad (Tum Polamai) © kvalifood.com

A spin-off of the classic papaya salad (som tum), using a mix of fresh fruit instead of green papaya. It started as a street food trend in Thailand where papaya salad vendors began experimenting with different ingredients. The dressing is the same salty-sour-sweet-spicy combination, and the mortar and pestle bruises the ingredients just enough to let the flavours meld.

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 cloves garlic
1-3 Thai chilies, to taste
2 Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
1 Tbsp dried shrimp, small (roughly chop if large)
5 long beans, cut into 2 ½ cm pieces
3 Tbsp roasted peanuts (or cashews)
1 ¾ dl grape tomatoes, halved
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
7 dl mixed fruit of your choice, bite-sized pieces (see Notes)
60 ml shredded carrots

Directions

In a mortar, pound the garlic and chilies into a paste. Add the palm sugar and pound until mostly dissolved.

Add the dried shrimp, long beans, and peanuts. Pound to crush the peanuts and bruise the long beans, flipping the mixture with a large spoon occasionally. Add the tomatoes and crush gently to release some juice.

Add the lime juice and fish sauce. Toss in the squeezed lime halves, skin and all, for extra fragrance. Stir with a spoon until well combined.

Add the fruit and carrots and toss everything together. If your mortar is too small, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

Pick 4-5 types of fruit with contrasting colours and textures. Good options: Granny Smith apples, grapes, pomelo, dragon fruit, kiwi, Asian pear, green mango, pineapple, and sweet corn.
Always include at least one crunchy fruit, and avoid anything overly sweet.
No mortar and pestle? In a large mixing bowl, combine the palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice; stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Grate the garlic with a zester, finely mince the chilies, and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the peanuts and bruise the long beans with a rolling pin or bottle. Add them to the bowl along with the tomatoes, pressing down gently to release juice. Add the fruit and carrots and toss.
If you can get a firm, sour green mango (no hint of yellow, sharp acidity, very crunchy), you can substitute it for all the fruit and carrots to make a green mango salad. Add some shallots, green onion, and cilantro. Adjust lime juice based on how sour the mango is.