Thum Mak Hoong (Easy Lao Papaya Salad Recipe) (2024)

There’s a darned good reason why this Lao papaya salad is the ultimate partner in crime for all of your Southeast Asian grilling fantasies. Didja know that just about nothing is better for digestion than papaya enzymes? Well, this recipe comes packing and has the most perfectly fine-tuned heat and juicy, sticky tamarind goodness.

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I don’t know if I am pregnant or what’s going on, but something happened this past year. I just snapped and couldn’t get enough tangy green papaya. As a longtime lover of som tam (Thai papaya salad) and achara (the pickled green papaya apsara from the Philippines), I knew I would have to unlock the holy grail that is known as thum mak hoong in Laos.

My body just craves something tangy and salty and fresh as heck to serve with lumpiang Shanghai, vegan spring rolls, or tempe mendoan. And what’s pretty rad about this papaya salad is that it’s completely oil-free, and still easily one of the most flavorful salads you can possibly make!

🌶️ Vegan Papaya Salad Ingredients

Bird’s Eye Chilies

I'm obsessed with these small red Thai chilies, called mak phet in Lao, that bring just the right amount of heat to this Lao papaya salad recipe. I use them in everything from Indonesian mie goreng to Filipino laing, my Malaysian curry laksa recipe, and Vietnamese banh bao.

Can’t find red bird’s eye chilies at your local Asian grocery store? Indian hari mirch green chilies and jalapeños both work well in the recipe too. Not super-into spice? You can skip the chilies altogether if you prefer less heat.

Red Curry Paste

My red curry paste recipe is a convenient way to add 100% vegan flavor and heat. Don’t have any? Tom yum paste or bumbu Bali are also fantastic in this recipe.

Tamarind Concentrate

Tamarind, known as mak kham in Lao, adds a unique sweet and sour profile to the dressing.

This stuff is also essential in making nam prik pao, tamarind date chutney, and rice paper salad. In case you can't find tamarind paste, you can make your own by blending tamarind pulp with boiling water until smooth and about as thick as ketchup.

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Not everyone uses vegan oyster sauce in their Lao papaya salad recipe, but since my recipe forgoes the dried fish, I turn to it to help provide umami and a little sweetness. Made from mushrooms, it somewhat mimics the flavor of traditional oyster sauce, at least well enough for me to use it in my sushi bake recipe, Korean tofu soup, and tom yum fried rice.

Can’t find vegan oyster sauce? You can substitute with vegan fish sauce, kecap manis, tamari, or hoisin sauce for a similar sweet, umami punch.

Coconut Sugar, Palm Sugar, or Brown Sugar

I think a little sweetener goes a long way in papaya salad. A tiny bit helps add balance to the sourness, but most restaurants in the US serve papaya salad cloyingly sweet, almost like a spicy dessert.

While you can 100% use regular brown sugar or coconut sugar, my fave is palm sugar. This stuff is my ride-or-die sweetener for making Southeast Asian desserts like Vietnamese che khoai mon, Filipino suman malagkit, and Indonesian kolak biji salak.

Green Papaya (Carica papaya)

Green papaya, aka mak hoong, is tart, firm, and rich in vitamins A and C. It’s basically totally unripe papaya, that has seeds that are still tiny, white, and soft to the touch on the inside.

You can find green papaya at most Asian grocery stores. You can also make this recipe using green mango, aka “raw mango”—not the ripe ones, but the kind you would use to make Indian mango pickle or asinan buah. Just peel it and use a mandoline to cut it into thin shreds.

📖How to make Lao papaya salad

Nail this oil-free, perfectly seasoned Lao papaya salad on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.

Step One

Get the Dressing Together:

See Also

Vietnamese Fruit co*cktail (Che Thai) — Vicky PhamChè Thái (Vietnamese Fruit co*cktail)Chè Thái (Vietnamese Dessert Drink)Authentic Che Thai (Vietnamese Fruit co*cktail) - Cooking Therapy

In a medium bowl, mix together the minced garlic, sliced chilies, grated ginger, red curry paste, lime juice, tamari, tamarind concentrate, vegetarian oyster sauce, and coconut sugar. Mix with the tines of a fork.

Step Two

Shredder Living Through Chemistry:

Using a mandoline with a julienne blade, a large shredding blade on a food processor, or a hand-held grater, shred the green papaya and carrot.

Discard the seeds and carrot tops.

Step Three

The Great Mix-Up:

Add the shredded papaya, carrot, cut cherry tomatoes, string beans, and chopped peanuts to the bowl with the dressing. Toss everything together until well coated.

Step Four

Serve It Up:

Spoon the salad onto a serving dish and top with crushed roasted peanuts, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges.

💡Serving Ideas

This lovely vegan papaya salad pairs like a dream with tons of Southeast Asian dishes.

Because it’s raw and fresh, the salad makes a great side to balance crispy things like Thai spring rolls, Filipino lumpiang Shanghai, or Indonesian bakwan sayur. It’s even pretty darn slammin’ alongside some vegan fried chicken slathered in Korean BBQ sauce or chili garlic sauce.

Of course, this spicy green papaya salad is also slammin' alongside some rice noodles. My top faves are bihun goreng, vegan pad see ew, and pad woon sen.

Lao papaya salad is also great with curries like ginataang kalabasa, curry laksa, ca ri chay, or my super-popular tom kha soup recipe.

Wash it down with some perfectly seasoned Thai iced tea or some fragrant bandrek, which is my family’s fave spiced pandan and lemongrass tea from Indonesia.

🤷‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

✌️My faves to serve with Lao papaya salad:

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Thum Mak Hoong (Easy Lao Papaya Salad Recipe)

This Lao recipe for papaya salad is tangy, and perfectly balanced with a fresh crunchy texture. It’s a quick, tasty way to bring tasty raw vibes to your vegan Southeast Asian cooking.

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Prep Time: 12 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 cups

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Lao, Thai

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Calories: 123kcal

Author: Adam Sobel

Cost: $7.50

Equipment

• ▢

  Medium bowl

• ▢

  mandolin

• ▢

  Grater

• ▢

  food processor

• ▢

  Mixing spoon

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients:

• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 bird’s eye chilies thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger grated
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons red curry paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoons tamari
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoons coconut sugar palm sugar, or brown sugar

Salad Ingredients:

• ▢ 5 cups shredded green papaya
• ▢ 1 medium size carrot
• ▢ 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1 cup string beans chopped
• ▢ ½ cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

To serve and garnish:

• ▢ ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts
• ▢ ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• ▢ Lime wedges

Instructions

• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine mincedgarlic cloves, chilies ginger, curry paste, lime juice, tamari, tamarind concentrate, vegetarian oyster sauce, and coconut sugar.

• Peel the papaya with a vegetable peeler, or carefully with a sharp knife, and scoop out and discard the seeds.

• Either using a mandolin with a julienne attachment, or using a large shredding blade on a food processor, or hand held grater, shred the papaya and carrot.

• Mix the papaya, carrot, cherry tomatoes, string beans, and peanuts into the dressing at the bottom of the mixing bowl and mix to combine.

• Transfer the salad to an attractive serving dish and garnish with peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges.

Notes

🍈Go Green or Go Home:
Use only green, firm papaya for this salad. Ripe papaya will turn mushy and lacks the tangy flavor that makes this dish so refreshing.

🌶️Spice to Your Taste:
Bird’s eye chilies pack a punch, so if you prefer a milder salad, start with one chili and taste the dressing first. You can always add more heat, but once it’s in, there’s no going back.

✂️Precision Pays Off:
A mandoline slicer is your best friend for perfect, even “noodles,” but if that’s too intimidating, hand-cutting works too—just aim for thin, matchstick-sized pieces. Or use a grater for an easier option.

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Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1660IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg