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Tam mak thua
Pounded long bean salad
Tam mak thua (ຕໍາໝາກຖົ່ວ): Lao pounded long bean salad with chilli, lime and tomato, made without fish sauce
In Vientiane and Luang Prabang, tam mak thua is the everyday alternative to green papaya salad, pounded to order at market stalls and at home for lunch with sticky rice and grilled food. Raw long beans are bruised in a clay mortar with garlic, chilli, tomato and lime until they soak up the juices, giving a crunchy, sour-hot salad with a grassy sweetness. Lao cooks season it with fish sauce and padaek (fermented fish); this vegetarian version uses tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) and a few crushed peanuts for savouriness. It gives about 5 g of protein a portion, so serve it as a side to tofu or eggs and sticky rice. The most common mistake is cutting the beans too long or pounding too hard: bruise short pieces until they split, but don't mash them to pulp. Chef's tip: pound the garlic and chilli first, then the beans, and only add the tomato and lime at the end so the salad stays crisp.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz long beanscut into 3 cm pieces
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 bird's-eye chilliesor to taste
- 8 cherry tomatoeshalved
- 1 limejuiced
- 2 tbsp tamarigluten-free soy sauce; or light soy sauce if gluten is no concern
- 2 tsp palm sugargrated
- 1 oz roasted peanutsroughly crushed
- 1 handful coriander (optional)optional
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pound 3 cloves garlic and 3 bird's-eye chillies in a large mortar to a coarse paste.
Step 2: Add 10 ½ oz long beans a handful at a time and pound lightly, turning them with a spoon, until the skins split and the beans look bruised but still hold their shape, about 2 minutes.
2 minStep 3: Add 2 tsp palm sugar, 2 tbsp tamari and 1 lime and pound gently to dissolve the sugar.
Step 4: Add 8 cherry tomatoes and press lightly so they release a little juice. Taste: it should be sour, salty, a little sweet and hot. Adjust with more lime or soy.
Step 5: Tip onto a plate, scatter 1 oz roasted peanuts and 1 handful coriander over and eat straight away with sticky rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tam mak thua take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of cherry tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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