Thai Glass Noodle Salad - Yum Woon Sen

Glass noodle salad or yum woon sen is a staple dish in any Thai home, so it was one of the first things I made when I left Thailand and was homesick! Glass noodle salad has wonderfully bright flavours with lots of refreshing crunchy vegetables. It was a regular in our home, and I think it might become a regular in yours, too! It's gluten free, and you can change the pork and shrimp to other proteins of your choice.

What are glass noodles?

Thai glass noodles or woon sen are thin, clear noodles made from mung bean starch. Do not confuse these with Korean glass noodles which are made from sweet potato starch and require totally different methods for preparation.

In Thailand glass noodles are considered to be good for those trying to lose weight. Not because they're particularly healthy (it's still just all carbs!) but because glass noodles can absorb a lot more water than rice noodles or wheat noodles, so in any given serving there are less carbs. In other words, much of the noodles on your plate is just water!

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make yum woon sen. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.

• Glass noodles. These are commonly available at Asian grocery stores, but sometimes they're labelled as "bean threads" or "bean vermicelli". Look for one made of 100% mung bean starch as those are the highest quality with the best texture. Cheaper ones will have other starches mixed in. Thai brands usually come in small 40 g (1.4 oz) packs, and you'll need one of these for this recipe.

• Dried shrimp. These are essentially shrimp jerky and are added for extra umami, but they are optional. You can find dried shrimp at Asian grocery stores in the refrigerated section. They come in a range of sizes, but I always go for the medium ones as they are the most versatile. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
• Garlic.
• Cilantro, if you don't like cilantro, green onions and/or mint can be used instead.
• Thai chilies. You can add as many as you want! Start with 1 for medium to mild spice level; if you love it really spicy go with 3.
• Palm sugar, finely chopped, packed. Light brown sugar can be used instead. Read more about palm sugar here!
• Fish sauce. See my post for how to choose good fish sauce here.
• Fresh lime juice
• Tomato, cut into wedges. Or sub halved cherry tomatoes
• Onion, white, yellow or red will work here. Julienne them finely so they're not too strong.
• Chinese celery, or 2 inner leafy stalks of regular celery.
• Ground pork. The ground pork will give a lot of umami to the salad, so I wouldn't skip it. Though you can sub ground chicken or turkey, dark meat preferred.
• Fresh shrimp, these are optional but they're commonly added to yum woon sen. You can use more ground pork or sub other kinds of protein if you wish.
• Roasted peanuts for sprinkling on top. If allergic, cashews will also work.

How to Make Thai Glass Noodle Salad

Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.

1. Soak the glass noodles in room temperature water for 7-10 minutes until soft and pliable.
2. Meanwhile, make the dressing: Chop off the leafy half of the cilantro sprigs and set aside, and chop the stems-only half into small chunks and place in the mortar and pestle along with the garlic and chilies; pound into a paste. Add palm sugar and pound until dissolved. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Place the dried shrimp in a small heatproof bowl, cover the shrimp with room temp water then microwave on high for about 45-60 seconds. Let it sit for a few more minutes until cool enough to handle, then drain. Without a microwave, you can cover the dried shrimp with boiling water and let them sit for a few minutes.
4. Place the tomato, onion and Chinese celery into a large mixing bowl. When the dried shrimp are ready, drain and pound them in a mortar and pestle until they are broken into smaller pieces. Alternatively, you can roughly chop them. Add the dried shrimp to the mixing bowl.
5. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drain the glass noodles and cut them with scissors into 2-3 sections to shorten them. Boil the glass noodles for 2 minutes then remove them from the water with tongs (keep the water boiling) and place into a strainer to drain excess water; set aside.
6. Add fresh shrimp into the remaining liquid and cook for 30-45 seconds or until they are done. Place the shrimp into the mixing bowl.
7. Pour out the cooking water, leaving just enough water to cover the bottom, and return the pot back on the stove. Once the water boils, add the pork along with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and stir until fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the liquid and place into the mixing bowl.  Then add about 1 tablespoon of the pork cooking liquid into the mixing bowl as well.
8. Add noodles into the mixing bowl, pour the dressing over and quickly toss to combine.
9. Roughly chop the leafy cilantro sprigs then toss them into the salad. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately!