Green Apple Salad
Apple Som Tum
Shredded green apple in a tamarind-lime dressing with toasted rice and mint
- Prep
- 5 min
- Serves
- 4
- Heat
- mild
This is Som Tum reimagined with a Western fruit standing in for green papaya, keeping the same balance of sweet, sour, nutty, and spicy that defines the category. Tart Granny Smith apple, shredded into thin strands, gets tossed with a dressing built on tamarind and lime for sourness, coconut sugar and fish sauce for a rounded sweet-salty base, and toasted ground rice for a nutty crunch running through the whole thing. Fresh mint folded into the dressing keeps the salad tasting clean and bright, with just a small amount of chili flake for background heat that can be adjusted or skipped entirely.
Ingredients
- 4 Granny Smith apples, large (julienned or shredded)
- 8 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 8 tablespoons Coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons Tamarind paste
- 4 tablespoons Fresh lime juice
- 8 teaspoons Toasted ground rice (plus more for garnish)
- 4 tablespoons Fresh spearmint leaves (a few sprigs reserved for garnish)
- 2 teaspoons Red chili flakes (to taste)
Directions
- Combine the coconut sugar and fish sauce in a small pan or microwave-safe bowl. Heat gently, without boiling, until the sugar fully dissolves into a thick syrup. Stir well and let cool.
- Pick the mint leaves from the stems, saving a few sprigs for garnish.
- Once the syrup has cooled to just slightly warm, stir in the tamarind paste, lime juice, toasted ground rice, and chili flakes until well blended. Set aside.
- Julienne or shred the apples, leaving them in loosely piled strands rather than packed tight, so the dressing can flow through evenly.
- Stir the mint leaves into the dressing.
- Spoon the dressing generously over the shredded apple, drizzling any extra around the plate.
- Sprinkle with a little extra toasted ground rice. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and a pinch more chili flake if desired. Serve with lime wedges and extra chili flake on the side.
Notes
Pile the shredded apple loosely rather than packing it down — the loose structure lets the dressing reach every strand instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Substitutions
Any crisp, tart apple works, though Granny Smith is the classic choice for its sourness. Chili can be left out entirely for a milder salad with no loss of the other flavors.