16 som tom recipes

Som tam, the iconic Thai green papaya salad pounded in a mortar with chilies, garlic, lime, peanuts, and long beans. A bright, fiery, crunchy salad scooped up with cabbage leaves.

The health benefits of green papaya exceed those of the ripe variety. Raw green papaya is packed with vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients. It contains vital nutrients including potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, E and B. However, perhaps the most important health property of green papaya is its ability to improve digestion and the uptake of nutrients, raising enzyme levels and improving assimilation, and thus also strengthening the immune system. Green papaya contains two of the most powerful plant proteolytic enzymes: papain and chymopapain. These enzymes excel at breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as aiding healthy digestion. Papain can only be found in the papaya fruit and is more effective than pepsin produced by our own stomachs.

Mom's old-fashioned watermelon rind pickles soaked in lime water, then simmered in sweet spiced vinegar syrup until jewel-like and translucent. A Southern heirloom canning recipe worth the wait.

Ginger barbecue chicken baked in a homemade sauce of tomato paste, fresh ginger, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Sweet, tangy, and smoky.

Canned asparagus topped with a hot bacon and onion dressing made with vinegar and sugar substitute. A low-calorie Southern-style side dish at just 31 calories per serving.

Classic white cake with buttermilk and egg whites for a pure white, tender crumb. Easy two-layer recipe with a marble cake variation built in.

Mom's peppered ham: poached ham shank coated in cracked black peppercorns and dried in a low oven for paper-thin deli-style slices. Old-school deli cooking at home.

Oven-fried scallops soaked in buttermilk and coated in seasoned breadcrumbs with thyme, baked at high heat for a crispy crust without deep frying. A low-calorie seafood dinner ready in under 40 minutes.

Old-fashioned strawberry shortcake biscuits made with shortening, folded with melted butter, and cut into diamonds. Flaky, tender, and baked at high heat.

Two-ingredient ham glaze: peach jam stirred with chopped candied ginger and thinned with water. Sweet, gingery shine that caramelizes into a sticky lacquer over baked ham.

Mom's shepherd's pie: leftover lamb cubed and simmered with onion, red pepper, rosemary, and parsley under a mashed potato crust. The classic Sunday-roast reinvention.

Mom's baked beans dump canned pork and beans together with ham chunks, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and pearl onions, then bake until thick. Easy potluck side from a no-fuss family recipe.

Sliced sweet potatoes baked under a golden, flaky pie crust with cinnamon and sugar. This old-fashioned Southern cobbler is simple as can be and twice as good.

Low-fat gingerbread made with whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, egg whites instead of whole eggs, and buttermilk for a moist spiced cake with no added fat.

Four-bean salad marinated for two days in a sweet wine vinegar and cider vinegar dressing with tarragon and basil. Green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas layered with sliced onion rings.

Thai-style green papaya salad with cabbage, string beans, peanuts, lime, and chili. Som tum-inspired bright, spicy, crunchy summer salad in 20 minutes.