Papaya Salad Dressing

Papaya Salad Dressing is a vibrant, tangy, and savory dressing typically used to dress green papaya salad (Som Tum), a iconic dish from Thailand and Laos. It's made from a base of lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and crushed chilies, often with garlic and tomatoes added for depth. The dressing is known for its perfect balance of sour, salty, sweet, and spicy flavors.

🍽️ Nutrition at a glance

This dressing is generally low in fat and protein but can be moderate in carbohydrates and sodium, primarily from the palm sugar and fish sauce. It provides a good amount of Vitamin C from the lime juice and lycopene if tomatoes are included.

Nutrition breakdown

Calories	35 kcal
Protein	0.5 g
Carbs	7 g
Fat	0 g
Fiber	0.5 g
Sugar	6 g
Sodium	480 mg
Vitamin C	8 mg
Manganese	0.1 mg
Potassium	50 mg
Iron	0.2 mg
Vitamin B6	0.02 mg
Magnesium	5 mg
Phosphorus	10 mg
Lycopene	150 mcg

Per 2 tablespoons (30 g) · estimated, varies by recipe

💡 What's interesting

The dressing is the soul of the dish, embodying the Thai culinary principle of balancing five fundamental flavors. Nutritionally, the unripe green papaya it dresses is a great source of the digestive enzyme papain, which can aid in protein digestion.