Thailand Guide

Som Tum Set in Khon Kaen ส้มตำ

A som tum set is green papaya pounded with lime, peanut, and chili, the mortar beside noodles rather than a highway trip. Stalls near Glang Muang in Khon Kaen are a lunch stop for that salad.

Khon Kaen50 to 90 THBsom tam thai Thai food hub
Som Tum Set in Khon Kaen

Photo: lazy fri13th (CC BY 2.0)

Thaiส้มตำไทย · som tam thai
Price50 to 90 THB
RoomNai Mueang mortars

What it tastes like

  • Lime, peanut, and chili on the Thai order. Poo plara adds crab and fermented fish.

How to order it

  • Thai name: som tam thai (ส้มตำไทย).
  • Say: Khor som tam thai, pet nit noi, khrap/kha.
  • Thai first. Poo plara is the hotter Isan order.

Typical price

  • 2026 cash: 50 to 90 THB.

Where to try it

  • City som tum stalls near Glang Muang, Nai Mueang, Mueang Khon Kaen 40000. 50 to 90 THB. Skip this, go here: skip the highway if you only want a salad; the city mortar is the 50 to 90 THB plate. The bird is still at Wanna.

Spice level and diet

  • Heat: Hot. Say pet nit noi.
  • Diet: Fish sauce and often dried shrimp.

Next plates

  • Back to the Khon Kaen food hub for the neighbourhood rows.
  • Use the Isan food page if you want the walk, not a second dish.
  • Som Tum is the nearby order if this plate is done.
  • Yen Ta Fo is the nearby order if this plate is done.
  • Beef Noodles is the nearby order if this plate is done.

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Common questions

Same as Wanna?
The salad is the same family. The charcoal bird that Michelin lists is still the highway shop.
How hot?
Say pet nit noi before they pound.