Easy Lao-Style Papaya Salad (thum mak hoong)

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Delicious Lao Papaya Salad using green papaya. It has a punch of umami and the right amount of spice to keep you coming back for more!

Taste a sweeter variation of papaya salad with Vietnamese papaya salad, gỏi đu đủ.

Lao-style papaya salad is super spicy and super addicting - you've been warned! It goes well with beef jerky, fried chicken, plain rice, and even by itself. I've had so many people make this for me and I treasure all those times that lit my mouth on fire. Then I learned how to make it for myself! My cousin’s sister-in-law is Laotian and she taught my cousin how to make it, and in turn, my cousin taught me. Since then, I’ve been sharing this recipe with anyone who craves/dreams/salivates about Lao Papaya salad and wants to enjoy it! If that is you, it’s time I teach you!

For beginners, the first part is getting shredded papaya. I've seen pre-shredded papaya at my local Asian grocery stores, so if you're lucky, you can grab some for yourself. I usually buy a green papaya and shred it myself. Grating the papaya does take a little practice. The more practice you have with preparing a papaya, the faster you'll get with making this recipe. You got this! Here is a guide on how to shred a green papaya.

This salad is absolutely delicious! For those who enjoy a little kick, adding extra Thai chile peppers can certainly do the trick. However, feel free to adjust the spice level to your own preference. If you don't want any spice, don't add any chilies!

What is Lao-Style Papaya Salad (thum mak hoong)?

Lao-style papaya salad is an addicting and popular fruit salad. The Laos name for it is thum mak hoong. Laos papaya salad is made from unripened, green papayas. Green papayas are fibrous and take on a durable texture. The flavor is also neutral allowing it to take on the flavors it is seasoned with. The star of Laos papaya salad is the padaek sauce. Many Lao families and restaurants have their homemade specialty padaek, typically made by fermenting fish, or crab, with salt and sometimes rice bran or other ingredients. The fermentation process can take several months, during which, the fish mixture undergoes flavortastic changes, resulting in a savory, umami-rich sauce. You can buy padaek at the store and add it to your papaya salad. In my Laos-style papaya salad, I use fermented salted crab called, ba khía. It gives the papaya salad a sweet, savory taste.

Thailand and Vietnam have their own versions of papaya salads but in my opinion, Laos has the strongest, most flavorful punch. Thai papaya salad (som tam) is a close variation of Laos papaya salad. The two countries border each other and it is no surprise that their dishes are very similar. Laos papaya salad also uses shrimp paste. This adds a game-changing element that has a characteristic taste that people love. Although, some people prefer Thai-style papaya salad because it doesn't use this.

Vietnamese papaya salad is entirely different than Thai and Laos papaya salad. Vietnamese (gỏi đu đủ) papaya uses shredded papaya, but it uses Vietnamese dipping sauce as its dressing. The Vietnamese papaya salad (gỏi đu đủ) is on the milder side and is eaten with beef jerky.

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What is Lao-Style Papaya Salad (thum mak hoong)?
❤️Why You'll Love This Recipe
🥄Equipment and tools
🛒Recipe Ingredients
↔Substitutions & Variations
👩‍🏫 How to Make Lao-Style Papaya Salad
Expert Tips
🙋‍♀️Recipes FAQ
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
💕More Recipes You'll Love
📖Recipe
Easy Lao-Style Papaya Salad (thum mak hoong)

❤️Why You'll Love This Recipe

This recipe can be made quickly once you have all your ingredients in place.
You can make a lot with just one papaya.
This recipe can be eaten as a snack, side dish, or entree.
No cooking is required for this recipe. Just make the dressing, throw in the shredded papaya, and pound it together.

🥄Equipment and tools

Mortar and Pestle: I recommend getting one of these big mortar and pestle sets if you're planning to make this dish over and over again. It is heavy, but it does such a great job in making papaya salads. Use it for Laos-style or Thai-style papaya salads. Check your local Asian grocery store to see if they have it!

🛒Recipe Ingredients

Wondering what you need to make Lao papaya salad from scratch? Let's talk about the key ingredients.

Tomatoes: Most preferred tomatoes are grape tomatoes but you can use smaller tomatoes you want. Roma tomatoes, on the vine red tomatoes, cherub tomatoes, Campari tomatoes. Feel free to experiment with bigger tomatoes, be sure to cut it down into bite-size pieces.
Ba Khía: This recipe requires ba khía. It is a fermented crab from Vietnam. This replaces Laos Padaek sauce. If you have Padaek, you can use it in place of this or add it to the mix.
Shrimp Paste (optional): This is one of the most important components of a delicious and memorable Laos papaya salad. Shrimp paste adds a salty, shrimp flavor to the dressing.
Palm Sugar: Using a good sugar will help cut the spice and enhance the flavor of the papaya salad. If you can not locate palm sugar, you can use white granulated sugar.
Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is absolutely necessary in making papaya salad. I am using the 3 Lobster brand. Another very popular brand is the 3 Crab fish sauce. If you use a different fish sauce, adjust the flavor to your preferences. If it's too salty, you may have to add sugar (a little at a time) and a squeeze of lime to even it out.
Garlic: Garlic adds a subtle kick and compliments the other flavors. The garlic increases the spiciness of the Thai chiles, the sweetness in the sugar and enhances the tanginess of the lime. It's a perfect combination of flavors that makes every bite of the salad absolutely delicious.
Thai chilies: Thai chilies or any bird's eye chilies is suitable for Laos papaya salad. If it is not spicy it is not Lao.
Lime: Lime is a key ingredient. Without it, you're missing the tanginess to draw in the dressing and the acidity to increase the spice level.
Shredded Papaya: Obviously, this is the most important component of a great Laos papaya salad. Use green unripened papayas for best results.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

↔Substitutions & Variations

Add Thai green, round eggplant (cà pháo)
Use white granulated sugar in place of palm sugar
Thai papaya salad is very similar but without shrimp paste
Use serrano peppers, frozen Thai peppers, or dried red peppers in place of Thai chili peppers
Add raw green beans
Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top
Add shredded carrots
Add shredded beef jerky strips to the salad
MSG can boost flavor

👩‍🏫 How to Make Lao-Style Papaya Salad

Garlic, Thai chilies, and palm sugar on a plate.

Step 1: Add garlic, Thai peppers, and palm sugar to mortar.

Pounding the garlic, Thai peppers, and palm sugar together.

Step 2: Use the pestle and start pounding the ingredients together.

Pounded garlic, Thai peppers, and palm sugar mixture.

Step 3: It will look similar to this when it is mashed up well.

Step 4: Add fish sauce to the mortar.

Step 5: Then add the ba khía sauce.

Step 6: Add in shrimp paste.

A mixture of pounded garlic, Thai peppers, palm sugar, fish sauce, ba kia, and fermented fish paste.

Step 7: Mix it all together with a spoon or the pestle. Do this gently to prevent the dressing from splashing everywhere.

Step 8: Add 2-3 handfuls of papaya salad into the mortar. (2-3 cups)

Use a spoon to scoop the bottom papaya to the top, and the pestle to pound the marinade into the unmixed papaya.

Step 9: Use a spoon to scoop the papaya from the bottom to the top. Then use the pestle to pound the top papaya into the dressing.

Pestle is pounding green papaya into the marinade.

Step 10: Repeat this step until shredded papaya is fully coated.

Step 11: Cut tomatoes into the mortar.

Step 12: Toss the tomatoes into the dressing and mix in with the papaya.

Chopsticks picking up Laos papaya salad.

Step 13: Plate and enjoy!

Expert Tips

Shop at an Asian specialty store for your ingredients.
Shred green papaya before hand.
Use a mortar and pestle.
When cutting tomatoes, use a cutting board if desired. Do what you feel is safest.