Yum Woonsen (Glass Noodles Salad) Recipe

Yum Woonsen (Glass Noodles Salad) Recipe

in Appetizers, Chicken, Fish & Seafood, Main, Noodles, Pork, Recipe, Salad

Woonsen is a Thai word for glass noodles, also known as cellophane noodles or Mung bean vermicelli or Mung bean threads. The dried noodles need soaking until soft then it takes only 10-20 seconds to cook in boiling water. Yum Woonsen is thought of as a drinking food or amuse-bouche in Thailand, but often as a diet meal for women as well, because of its “low-carb but filling” quality of the noodles. It is usually made spicy and sour with fresh lime juice. You can choose to use any meat or protein of your choice for umami flavour, too.

Salad Ingredients

  • 40 g. Dried glass noodles (small packets found in Thai stores)
  • 1-3 Bird’s eye chilies, or to taste
  • 1 medium tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges, or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 stalk (2-3 stems) of Chinese celery, cut into 1 inch pieces, save some leaves for garnish
  • 3-4 medium prawns or 1 small squid cut into small rings, or a combinations
  • 2 Tablespoons of ground pork or chicken

Dressing Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 4 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 Tbsp sugar

Directions

  1. Soak glass noodles in room-temp water for 15-20 minutes to soften. When it’s soaked and pliable, cut into shorter strands (about 3-6 inches or so). Drain and set aside.
  2. Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir to dissolve sugar.
  3. Crush chilies in a mortar with pestle. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add to the bowl, tomatoes, onion, and Chinese celery.
  4. Cook the ground pork in a deep pan with half a cup of water. Transfer the pork, not the liquid,  to the vegetables. Add water into the same pan so it’s about ½” deep, bring to a boil and add the shrimp and cook just until done. Add the shrimp to the mixing bowl as well.
  5. Add water into the same pan so it’s about 1” deep and bring to a boil, cook the noodles for about 1 minute until soft. Taste the noodles to check it should be completely soft. Drain noodles well and transfer noodles into the mixing bowl.
  6. Pour the dressing onto the noodles in the mixing bowl, and then toss everything together.