Thai Long Bean Salad Recipe (Som Tum Tua)
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This Thai long bean salad recipe (som tum tua) is a quick and easy Isan-style dish with crisp yardlong beans, juicy tomatoes, and a bold, tangy dressing. It’s ready in under 15 minutes and perfect for summer as a light, refreshing side with grilled meats and sticky rice.
What readers say:
“Made this tonight to go with dinner! It reminded me of being in Thailand. Great recipe. So much flavour! I will definitely be making this again!“
— Alexandra Alder
What is Thai long bean salad?
Thai long bean salad, or som tum tua, is a refreshing Thai salad made with yardlong beans, garlic, chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce. It’s pounded in a mortar and often served with sticky rice and grilled meats. The flavor is bold, salty, sour, and slightly sweet.
About this dish
This is the salad I make when I don’t have green papaya on hand. It’s the same idea as som tam, just using yard long beans, and it works just as well.
Making it is really easy too. The main thing is how you handle the beans. You don’t want to smash them, just gently bruise them so they soak up the dressing and still keep a bit of crunch.
The dressing is the same style as papaya salad. Just taste and adjust as you go. If it feels a bit off, it usually just needs a little more lime or fish sauce.
What you’ll love about this recipe
Praew ♡
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy my mushroom salad and Thai cucumber salad.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find everything at Asian grocery stores or markets. Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Yard long beans: Also called Chinese long beans or snake beans. If you can’t find them, green beans work just fine.
- Small tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes work best.
- Dried chilies: Adjust to your spice level. Start with less if you’re unsure, you can always add more.
- Garlic: Pound it well so it blends into the dressing.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice adds brightness and helps balance everything.
- Fermented fish sauce (optional): Adds a deeper, stronger flavor that’s common in Isan-style salads. Skip if you prefer a milder taste.
- Fish sauce: Brings salt and umami. My go-to brand is Megachef.
- Tamarind paste: Adds a soft tang with a bit of sweetness.
- Palm sugar: Gives a natural sweetness with a slight caramel note that balances the sour and salty flavors.
How to make Thai green bean salad
1. Start by slicing the long beans into bite-sized pieces (1-2 inches). Cut the lime and chop the tomatoes into smaller chunks.
2. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and dried chilies until they’re crushed and fragrant.
3. Add the long beans to the mortar and gently pound just until they begin to split. This helps them soak up all the flavor from the dressing.
4. Add the fish sauce, fermented fish sauce (if using), tamarind paste, and palm sugar. Keep pounding and mixing until the sugar is fully dissolved.
5. Squeeze in the lime juice, toss in the peels for extra fragrance, and add the tomatoes. Lightly mix everything together, taste and adjust if needed, and serve right away!
How to store
Bean salad lasts up to 3 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. For best texture, store the dressing separately and mix just before serving.
If the salad is already dressed, it may become soggy after the first day. To keep it fresh longer, refrigerate the beans and vegetables dry, and only toss with dressing right before eating.
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Thai Long Bean Salad Recipe (Som Tum Tua)
Equipment
- Cutting board and sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 dried chilies, to taste
- 10 yardlong beans, cut into 1-inch sizes
- ½ tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fermented fish sauce
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- ½ lime, sliced
- 2 small tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Slice the long beans into medium-sized pieces, chop the tomatoes into small chunks, and cut the lime in half.
- Crush the garlic and dried chilies with a mortar and pestle.
- Add the long beans, pounding gently until they start to burst open so they can soak up the dressing.
- Mix in the fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, tamarind paste, and palm sugar. Pound until palm sugar is completely dissolved.
- Squeeze in fresh lime juice, throw in the peel, followed by the tomatoes. Give it all a gentle but good mix and serve your immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
Made this tonight to go with dinner! It reminded me of being in Thailand. Great recipe. So much flavour! I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you so much, Alexandra! Make sure to try my other salad recipes too!