Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
Yum woon sen is a classic Thai salad that's a staple in many Thai homes. This easy dish is bright and fresh, and is great as a side or even as the main dish for a light meal. Gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1.4 oz dry glass noodles, aka "bean threads" or "bean vermicelli" see note 1
- 1 Tablespoon dried shrimp, optional, see note 2
- 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
- ¼ cup julienned onion
- 1 stalk Chinese celery or 2 inner small stalks and leaves of regular celery, thinly sliced
- 6 medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3.5 oz ground pork
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
The Dressing
- 10 sprigs cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-3 Thai chilies, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Notes
- If possible use glass noodles that are made from 100% mung bean starch, such as Pine Brand.
- Dried shrimp can be found in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores. They come in a range of sizes, and I always go for one of the medium ones.
Instructions
- Soak the glass noodles in room temperature water for 7-10 minutes until soft and pliable.1.4 oz dry glass noodles
- 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 2 tablespoon of the fish sauce and lime juice and stir to dissolve the sugar.2 cloves garlic, 10 sprigs cilantro, 1-3 Thai chilies, 1 Tablespoon palm sugar, 2 Tablespoons fish sauce, 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 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.1 Tablespoon dried shrimp
- 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 dried shrimp to the mixing bowl.1 medium tomato, ¼ cup julienned onion, 1 stalk Chinese celery or 2 inner small stalks and leaves of regular celery
- 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.
- 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.6 medium or large shrimp
- 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.3.5 oz ground pork, 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- Add noodles into the mixing bowl, pour the dressing over and quickly toss to combine.
- Roughly chop the leafy cilantro sprigs then toss them into the salad. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately!¼ cup roasted peanuts
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