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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Gluten Free

    Pomelo Salad (Yum Som-O) ยำส้มโอ

    Published: Jun 23, 2017 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Pomelo is like a giant, sweet grapefruit. When you get a good pomelo..few things are more refreshing and invigorating to eat! It's also the perfect candidate for this beautiful, light salad, and I waited a long time to make this recipe cuz I wanted to make sure I am in Thailand where pomelos are the best in the world!

    In this video I also show you how to peel a pomelo! It's a massive fruit so it is intimidating to many people, and tons of Thai people (including me) often buy pre-peeled ones just for convenience. But once you know the trick, it's really not hard—it just takes a bit of time!

    Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

    All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

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    pomelo salad

    Pomelo Salad (Yum Som-O) ยำส้มโอ

    ★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
    • Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
    • Yield: Serves 2-3 as an appetizer
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    Ingredients

    Dressing

    • 1 Tbsp palm sugar (see note)
    • 1½ Tbsp lime juice (see note)
    • 2 tsp fish sauce
    • Thai chilies, to taste

    The Salad

    • 2 cups Pomelo, torn into chunks (see how to peel a pomelo in the video)
    • 3 Tbsp shredded coconut, dark toasted
    • 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely ground
    • 2 Tbsp dried shrimp, blitzed in a blender or coffee grinder until fluffy
    • 3 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced
    • 2 kaffir lime leaves, very finely julienned
    • 2 inches lemongrass, bottom half only, very thinly sliced
    • ¼ cup mint leaves
    • ¼ cup cilantro leaves (optional)
    • Wild betel leaves for serving (optional)
    • Option: If you want to make the salad a bit more substantial, some people top the salad with some cooked shrimp as well.

    Note:  The measurements I provided is for a pomelo that is relatively sweet and not very tart. You will need to adjust the dressing measurements according to the sweetness/tartness of the pomelo. If the pomelo is quite tart, use more sugar and less lime juice. 

    Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use


    Instructions

    In a mortar and pestle, grind the chilies into a paste, then add palm sugar and pound until dissolved. Add fish sauce and lime juice and swirl to mix.

    Pour the dressing into a mixing bowl, then add all other ingredients and toss to combine. That's it! You can serve it as is or serve some wild betel leaves (chaploo leaves) along side it which you can use to make little bit-sized wrap of the salad.

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    Tip: Peeled pomelo segments will keep in the fridge for at least a week or 2, so after I peel the whole thing, I just stick them in a well sealed container in the fridge, et voila, ready-to-eat delicious pomelo in the fridge for days! And pomelo is so much better cold, too!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Jacques Then

      September 26, 2023 at 11:49 am

      I finally made this dish. The ratio and ingredients you shared were spot on. The result was exactly the taste and texture I remember and enjoy. Although it is a simple mix and toss recipe, the prep work is exhausting. Peeling the Thai red pomelo, blending the dried shrimps till fluffy, toasting the freshly grated coconut, toasting the peanuts and then removing the skins, and finely slicing the shallots, lemongrass and lime leaves.. I used 2 red and 2 green small Thai chilies so the heat was present and bearable in a good way. As a pain junkie, as if the prep work was not enough, I also pan seared scallops as a seafood topping as I was hosting guests. It was the most popular dish, completely cleaned out. Thank you Pai. Love it!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. soyee

      December 31, 2022 at 9:26 pm

      I made this many many times. Super delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Robert Mishaan

      January 09, 2022 at 9:51 pm

      My first time using pomelo. I followed the recipe faithfully and was rewarded with a tasty dinner. I added some large shrimp to make it a more filling dish.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Tamara Sawitzki

      December 13, 2021 at 11:22 am

      Just as lovely as we had it in Thailand - it has exactly the same ingredients like the one I fell in love with. I had it whenever I could get it! So full of flavors…

      Thanks for the wonderful recipe ;D

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Piers Storey

      August 21, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      Awesome!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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