Glass Noodle Salad
With rainbow carrots & cucumbers – YUM WOON SEN –
THAILAND
This is a simple dish but one that sums up what I love about Thai food. There is a perfect balance of flavours (sour freshness from limes, salty pungency from fish sauce, and just enough heat to wake up your senses) and textures (soft and slippery noodles, crisp vegetables and roasted peanuts). I love making this in summer because there’s no cooking involved and it’s versatile enough to take on most ingredients. You can easily throw in your favourite crunchy vegetables or, if you’re feeling a bit naughty, some leftover crispy roast pork belly (see here).
- 80g glass noodles (otherwise known as cellophane noodles, or mung bean threads)
- ½ a carrot, julienned
- ½ a cucumber, deseeded and julienned
- ¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs of fresh Thai basil
- 4 sprigs of fresh coriander
- a handful of skinless roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 5 tablespoon lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar, or unrefined brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimps
- 2 or 3 bird’s-eye chillies, chopped
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- Pour boiling water over the glass noodles, cover, and let soak for 10–12 minutes, until the noodles are pliable and become translucent. You can pinch a bit off to test the texture – it should be soft but slightly chewy. Drain and refresh in cold water.
- Stir together the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar, adjusting to taste. It should lead with sour, followed by salty, and should not taste sweet at all; the sugar is only there to round out the flavours and take away some of the heat from the chillies. Add the dried shrimps and chillies, tasting and adjusting again, as the dried shrimps might be quite salty. Finally, add the shallots; the acidic dressing will take away some of the raw sharpness.
- Combine the glass noodles, vegetables, herbs and peanuts, and pour the dressing over. Toss well and let stand for at least 15 minutes for the noodles to absorb the flavours before serving.