Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)

Yum Woon Sen is one of those dishes that feels light but leaves you completely satisfied. Slippery glass noodles are tossed through a sharp lime and chilli dressing along with minced pork, prawns, crunchy celery and a generous handful of coriander and mint.

It's the kind of salad that works as a starter, a side, or a light meal on its own, and it comes together in barely half an hour. The key is not to over-soak the noodles, you want them soft but still with a little bite, ready to soak up all that tangy dressing.

Serve it cool or at room temperature, it's brilliant on a warm evening when you want something fresh rather than heavy.

Servings
4
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
10
mins
Ingredients
13
Total Time
30
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Pantry bits

  • Medium saucepan
  • Slotted spoon
  • Kitchen scissors
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Colander
  • Serving plate

Ingredients

  • 100g dried glass (vermicelli) noodles
  • 200g pork mince
  • 200g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 red shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 red chillies, finely sliced
  • 1/4 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed

Instructions

  1. Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 8-10 minutes, until softened, then drain and use scissors to cut into shorter lengths.
  2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pork mince for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked through, using a slotted spoon to remove it and set aside.
  3. In the same water, poach the prawns for 1-2 minutes until just pink and cooked through, then drain and set aside with the pork.
  4. Blanch the drained noodles briefly in the same water for 30 seconds, then drain well.
  5. Whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves.
  6. Add the noodles, pork, prawns, tomatoes, celery, shallots and most of the chilli to the bowl and toss gently to combine.
  7. Fold through the coriander and mint, reserving a little for garnish.
  8. Transfer to a serving plate, scatter with crushed peanuts, reserved herbs and remaining chilli, and serve immediately.

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