Apple Som Tam

20260112 #breakfastdiary day 1612, -9°C/mostly clear Today I used coconut sugar, though the original som tam recipe calls for palm sugar — if you don't have it, brown sugar works as a substitute. And since something like tamarind sauce is unlikely to be sitting around at home, you can just leave it out. Skipping the tamarind sauce gives you a more Southern Thai style som tam (a brighter, cleaner flavor). Lime, though, is non-negotiable. 'While salty flavors tend to lift and sharpen the negative notes, sour flavors handle freshness and balance' (quoting The Science of Flavor). But in som tam, lime does more than that. The moment you crush a lime wedge, you'll feel it instantly. A completely un-spicy, breakfast-friendly approx. 344kcal Apple Som Tam

1 apple, 1 tomato, 1T peanuts, 2 peperoncino, 2 cloves garlic, 1T dried shrimp, 1 lime, 1T fried shallots, (dressing) 1T tamarind sauce, 1T fish sauce, 1t coconut sugar

1. Mix 1T tamarind sauce, 1T fish sauce, and 1t coconut sugar to make the dressing. 2. No mortar and pestle, so I'll just crush things by hand as best I can. In a mixing bowl, add 2 peperoncino and 2 cloves garlic and crush. 3. Add the pre-ground dried shrimp, chop the lime finely and add it in, and crush together. 4. Add the tomato, apple, and peanuts, and finally pour in the dressing, crushing as you mix. 5. Plate it and top with a bit of fried shallot.

Inspired by @jose.kallioinen