Thai Style Cucumber Salad and Lemongrass Chicken
Som Tam. Best Thai salad. Ever. When I traveled to Thailand, I ate this every day. How many does that make in eight months?! A LOT. Every vendor makes them a little differently and I loved testing them all to find the very best one!
Curious to why we travel to Thailand so much? Well, my husband is kinda obsessed with martial arts and Thailand’s national sport is Muay Thai. Also known as the art of eight limbs. It’s a form of standup kickboxing that allows the use of hands, elbows, knees, and feet…eight limbs. At the baby age of twenty, Glen lived in Thailand for over a year at a Muay Thai camp and took fights for pennies. He ended up fighting professionally in Muay Thai and although he doesn’t take fights anymore, he has a deep love for the sport. Training Muay Thai in Thailand is the only way to train. We love to travel there, set-up shop and focus on work and training. It’s become a home away from home. And he’s passed his love of the people, culture, and food to me!
In Thailand this salad is typically made with green papaya, but I’ve had it made with cucumbers too. You can use whichever you’d like, but I’ve found it’s easier to find cucumbers over green papaya. And the refreshing taste of the crisp cucumber is everything. Paired with the spice of the chillies, the sour of the lime, the salt of the fish sauce, and the sweetness of the honey. Yum.
Oh yeah, and the chicken. I can’t forget about the BBQ chicken! Obviously not the star of this show, but in northern Thailand som tam is typically paired with BBQ chicken or pork and sticky rice. It’s a pretty stellar combo. You can make rice to go along with this meal or do like I do and just make extra salad! For the chicken I seasoned with Asian Citrus Seasoning from Mekhala’s, turmeric, salt pepper, and some fresh lemon to brighten it up.
I love Mekhala’s seasonings and curries because they’re made with quality ingredients in Chaing Mai, Thailand. One of my favorite places in the world and the best spot for healthy Thai food. If you travel to Thailand though, know that not all the food is healthy, especially when they flavor it up with sugary sauces, MSG, vegetable oils, and iffy seasonings. Most restaurants use MSG and a few trips back we realized that my husband is pretty allergic to MSG. This last trip we did a lot of research to find quality, MSG free restaurants. And thankfully now that I’m back in the states, I found Mekhala’s products! All are free of MSG, gluten, nuts, sugar, dairy, weird oils, fillers, GMO’s, and all are organically harvested in Thailand. It really doesn’t get any better than this. You can hardly find this quality, even in Thailand!
I hope you guys love this salad and chicken recipe! It’s one of those recipes that instantly transports me back to Thailand…sitting on Nai Harn beach with a few stray dogs, sticky skin, salty hair, me and the hubby fork fighting over som tam bites with our lips burning so bad that we’ve got to shove rice and chicken in for balance. The flavors take me back to these carefree moments, like all the time in the world has stopped. Best Som Tam I ever had was from this adorable older couple who grilled the best chicken and mixed up the best papaya salad right on Nai Harn beach in Phuket. Bet they’re still there, serving up the best.
Thai Style Cucumber Salad and Lemongrass Chicken
I make this recipe using an extra large clay mortar and wood pestle. This is how it's traditionally made in Thailand. The crushing method really makes for a good sauce. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, just mince the veggies and toss everything together in a mixing bowl. Also, my measurements are rough guidelines for a reason. This dish caters to every ones palate, you just need to make it your own. Add more lime if you like sour, more sugar if its too spicy, and add the fish sauce slowly so you can adjust the salt. Eat this salad right away, the cucumbers never stay great that long.
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 1-2 Pound Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless
- 1-2 Tbsp Thai Citrus Seasoning
- 1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Lemon Zest
- 1 Lemon Juiced
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 1-2 Tsp Salt and Pepper
Cucumber Salad
- 2 Cucumber
- 1 Carrot
- 3-5 Cherry Tomatoes
- 1-2 Garlic Cloves
- 1-4 Tsp Fish Sauce
- 1-2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1-2 Tbsp Honey or Palm Sugar
- 1-2 Bird Eye Chillies, dry or fresh
- 2-4 Tbsp Roasted Nuts or Seeds, pumpkin, sunflower, cashews, peanuts
Instructions
Grilled Chicken
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Marinate 1-2 pounds of chicken thighs with seasonings. Let rest for 30 mins and grill med/high for 5-8 mins each side.
Cucumber Salad
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Ready your ingredients.
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Using the mortar and pestle, crush 1 bird eye chili. I use dried here, but fresh works too.
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Then add 1 clove garlic, crush.
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Next, add in a few cherry tomatoes and crush. Following, add 1 tsp of honey or palm sugar, a splash or three of fish sauce, and the juice of 1/2 lime. Mix together. Taste the dressing and adjust to your liking.
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Let sauce sit while you julienne two cucumbers (discard the seeded center). Add to bowl with sauce.
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Add a julienned carrot to the mix for extra veggies and crunch. Mix everything together.
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Finish with some crunchy nuts or seeds. Usually it's served with peanuts, but I like to top it with roasted pumpkin seeds or cashews.
Som Tam in Thailand 🙂 We ordered it alongside every meal 🙂
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