SOM TUM ( PAPAYA POK POK )

Som tam or Som tum :
(Thai: ส้มตำ, IPA: som ɗam) also known as Tam mak hoong (Lao:, Isan: ตำมักหุ่ง, IPA: ɗam mak huŋ) is a spicy salad made from shredded unripened papaya originally from Laos and Lao-settled Isan region of northeastern Thailand. Variations of the dish are found throughout Laos and Thailand, as well as in the West, where it is more commonly known by its Thai version and Thai name. A similar dish is also eaten in Cambodia, where it is known as bok l'hong. It is often served with sticky rice (Lao:, Thai/Isan: ข้าวเหนียว, IPA: kʰaːw nio) and gai yang (Lao:, IPA: piŋ gɑj, Isan: ไก่ย่าง, gɑj ɲːaŋ, Thai: ไก่ย่าง, IPA: gɑj jːaŋ). It is also sometimes served over rice noodles and raw vegetables to mitigate the spiciness of the dish, or simply as a snack by itself with crispy pork rinds.

Ingredients :
The dish combines the four main tastes of Lao/Thai cuisine: sour lime, hot chile, salty fish sauce, and sweetness added by palm sugar. In Laos and Thailand, it is customary that a customer ask the preparer to make the dish suited to his or her tastes, but traditionally, a typical tam mak hoong will contain some or all of the following items:

1. Chile (Isan: พริก, IPA: pʰik, IPA: pʰrik)
2. Sugar (somtimes also palm sugar
3. Garlic (paktʰiːam, Isan: กระเทียม, IPA: gaʔtʰiːam, Thai: กระเทียม, IPA: graʔtʰiːam)
4. Lime (Thai/Isan: มะนาว, IPA: maʔnaːw)
5. Fish sauce (น้ำปลา, IPA: nam paː, Thai: น้ำปลา, IPA: nam plaː)
6. Brined crabs (Isan: ปูดอง, IPA: pudɔŋ, Thai: ปูเต็ม, IPA: puɗem)
7. Shrimp paste (Thai/Isan: กะปิ, IPA: gaʔpiː)
8. Padaek (Isan: ปลาแดก, IPA: paːdɛːk, Thai: ปลาร้า, IPA: paːraː)
9. Yardlong beans (Isan: หมากถั่ว, IPA: maːktʰua, Thai: ถั่วฝักยาว, IPA: tʰuafakyaːw)
10. Tomatoes (Isan: หมากเล่น, IPA: maːk leːn, Thai: มะเขือเทศ, IPA: maʔkʰɯːatʰeːt)
11. Hog Plums (่Thai/Isan: มะกอก, maʔgɔːk)
Isan people also refer to tomatoes as เขอเคอ and, although rare, may refer to gai yang as ไก่ปิง, pronounced the same as Lao .

Variations :
The Central Thai version tends to be quite mild and much sweeter, in comparison, and often contains crushed peanuts, and less likely to have padaek or brined crab. Dried brine shrimp are also used in this version, commonly referred to as ส้มตำรามา or som tam rama. There are also versions that are made with unripened mangoes, cucumbers, carrots, and other firm vegetables or unripened fruits.

TOM YUM GOONG

TOM YUM :
(Thai: ต้มยำ, IPA: [tôm jɑm], also sometimes romanized as tom yam or dom yam) is a soup originating from Thailand. It is perhaps one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine. It is widely served in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and has been popularized around the world.

Tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors, with fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, shallots, lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, and crushed chili peppers.

In Thailand, tom yum is usually made with prawns (tom yum goong), chicken (tom yum gai), fish (tom yum pla), or mixed seafood (tom yum talay or tom yum po taek) and mushrooms - usually straw or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

The less popular variety of tom yum is tom yum nam khon (Thai: ต้มยำน้ำข้น), where coconut milk is added to the broth. This is not to be confused with tom kha or tom kha gai - where the galanga flavor dominates the soup. Tom yum nam khon is almost always made with prawns, whereas chicken is often used in tom kha. Its other cousin is less well-known outside Thailand - tom klong. Sometimes Thai chili jam (Nam Prik pao, Thai: น้ำพริกเผา) is added: this gives the soup a bright orange colour and makes the chili flavor more pronounced.

Commercial tom yum paste is made by crushing all the herb ingredients and stir-frying in oil. Seasoning and other preservative ingredients are then added. The paste is bottled or packaged, and sold around the world. Tom yum flavored with the paste may have different characteristics to that made with fresh herb ingredients.