YUM WOON SEN (THAI GLASS NOODLE SALAD)

Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad) is a Thai classic dish that usually consists of Glass Noodles, seafood, ground pork and tossed with a delicious fresh light lime based dressing. There are many versions of Yum Woon Sen, based on who you talk to. Mine? It has shrimp, ground pork, cherry tomatoes, celery, shallots, cilantro, green onions, Thai chilies and some slivered almonds (because I don’t like peanuts) on top. It is tangy, a little sweet and salty and of course spicy just like other Thai salads, which is totally different than any Western salads. It is generally served as main dish with some Jasmin rice. But you can serve it as an appetizer or as a light meal by itself.

Thailand has awesome food and people are so open to other cultures and different kinds of food. I grew up around food and that’s why I love food so much. Sometimes too much. ha ha  They have food everywhere, at all hours in Thailand. A lot of people wonder how the Thai people stay in shape. I don’t have a real answer to that, but my theory is Thailand is a hot country so they sweat it out (while walking miles and miles shopping if you’re like me), plus food is fresh,  served in a small portion and they do not consume a lot of preservatives and processed food. I mean nothing’s wrong with a little bit of shortcut. For example, if you need to make pie or pastry but you don’t have time, I use store bought puff pastry many times but always remind yourself to use some fresh ingredients and moderation is the key.

Back to this delicious Yum Woon Sen, it is one my favorite Thai dishes, it can be found everywhere, from street food vendors, in local small restaurants and even in a fancy high end restaurant. It is fast, healthy and pretty easy to prepare, but I wouldn’t let it sit too long before you serve it though. Those little soft glass noodles will soak up all the dressing and can end up too dry. No one likes dry Yum Woon Sen.Okay, let me show you all the ingredients.

First of all, let’s talk about Glass Noodles. Glass Noodles, bean thread, or cellophane noodles are made from mung bean, potato or tapioca starch and water. They are sold in dried form and after being cooked or soaked in hot water, they get softer and appear transparent. Hint hint… their name “glass noodles” or “cellophane noodles”. They are generally used in egg rolls, spring rolls, soups, or stir fried dishes like the Glass Noodles with Bacon and Bok Choy. It’s pretty healthy in my book, especially if you can find the kind that is made by mung bean because it’s mostly protein.

Secondly, for the veggies and herbs, I use cherry tomatoes, shallots, celery hearts, green onions, cilantro and Thai chilies. All fresh and good stuff.

Next, the dressing. You’ll need Fish Sauce, fresh lime juice and some sweetener like agave or sugar.

That’s it. Once you get all the ingredients ready, let’s cook some food!

Boil the water in a medium pot, add the ground pork. Cook until the pork is no longer pink. Take them out from the pot and transfer into a large bowl. I use my handy dandy spider strainer, it works best for this job.

Next, cook the shrimp for a few minutes in the same boiling water. Once they turn pink, scoop them out and transfer them into the same bowl.

Next, cook the noodles for a few minutes (do not over cook them). Transfer into the bowl. If they are too long, you can cut them.

Add all the veggies and herbs (shallots, cherry tomatoes, celery, green onions, cilantro, Thai chilies) and the dressing (Fish Sauce, lime juice and Agave or sugar). Toss gently until everything is combined.  Taste if it needs more Fish Sauce, lime or Agave (or sugar). It should be tangy, sweet and a little salty.

Sprinkle some chopped peanuts (or almonds or cashews) on top. Serve right away with some Jasmin rice.

I hope you give this Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad) a try, the recipe card is below. Leave me a comment in the comment box below for any feedback, tips and tricks you would like to share. 🙂

YUM WOON SEN (THAI GLASS NOODLE SALAD)

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Mink

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 oz. glass noodles (aka cellophane noodles or bean thread)
• ¼ lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. shrimp
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2-3 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (or almonds or cashews)
• ¼ cup Fish Sauce
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Agave (or sugar)
• 3-4 Thai chilies, finely chopped
• 3-4 cups water (to cook pork and shrimp)

Instructions

1. Boil the water in a medium pot, add the ground pork. Cook until the pork is no longer pink. Take them out from the pot and transfer into a large bowl.
2. Cook the shrimp for a few minutes in the same boiling water. Once they turn pink, scoop them out and transfer them into the same bowl.
3. Cook the noodles for a few minutes (do not over cook them). Transfer into the bowl. If they are too long, you can cut them.
4. Add all the veggies and herbs (shallots, cherry tomatoes, celery, green onions, cilantro, Thai chilies) and the dressing (Fish Sauce, lime juice and Agave or sugar). Toss gently until everything is combined. Taste if it needs more Fish Sauce, lime or Agave (or sugar). It should be tangy, sweet and a little salty.
5. Sprinkle some chopped peanuts (or almond or cashew) on top. Serve right away with some Jasmin rice.

Notes

You may need to add more dressing to the noodles if too dry. Some brands soak up the dressing more than others.

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