Thai Salads: Yum

Thai salads are most commonly know as ‘yum’. Yum, meaning “mix,” is a hearty dish consisting mostly of meat, fish, or seafood together with many other typically Thai ingredients which may include peanuts, fruit, and herbs. It’s tossed just before serving often with chili fish sauce, sliced fresh shallots or onions, fresh or dried chiles, crushed chili peppers,  lime juice, sugar and herbs (such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, spearmint, coriander leaves, spring onions and cilantro). Other ingredients can include: sliced tomatoes, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, or khaminkhao (“white turmeric”). We will talk about some Thai yum salads here.

1.Thai Green Mango Salad (Yum Mamuang): Thai green mango salad, similar to Som Tam, is a truly tasty and favorite Thai salad, filled with a burst of tropical flavours – fruity, hot, sweet, sour and salty. This recipe is no-cook, so it is truly fuss-free and convenient. Ingredients include sliced green mango, shallots, garlic, and peanuts all mixed together with the typical Thai yum dressing. It can be eaten alone, like som tam, and is often served as an accompaniment to fish dishes.

2. Thai Seafood Salad (Yum Talay):This Yum Talay boasts a playful mix of flavors: the natural sweetness of fresh seafood, the earthy cilantro, and mint, and the sharp accent of lime juice with a sizzle of chili heat. Mussels, fresh shrimp, squid, sea scallops are the main seafood items for this salad.

3. Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea): Another delicious salad dish!The base for this dish is char-grill, barbecue, or pan-fried beef. After placing salad greens, onions, kaffir lime leaves, chili, cilantro, mint and basil into a salad bowl and tossing lightly, the dressing must be added. The dressing combines fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and sugar. It tastes great with rice and even a nice bottle of Thai beer!