4 som tom recipes

Hue rice (Com Huong Giang) is a Vietnamese fried rice with dried shrimp, lemongrass, chilies, and fish sauce. Aromatic and spicy stir-fried rice from central Vietnam served with nuoc cham.

Thai chicken coconut soup simmers bone-in chicken in lemongrass and galangal-infused coconut milk, finished with lime, fish sauce, cilantro, and chili. A Tom Kha Gai classic ready in 30 minutes.

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.