Yum Woonsen (Glass Noodle Salad)

5 from 2 votes

Yum Woonsen (Glass Noodle Salad)

Yum Woonsen features bean thread noodles tossed with a sour, spicy, salty, and sweet dressing and topped with fresh vegetables, shrimp, ground pork, and roasted peanuts.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Servings:

Calories: 257kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

40 grams bean thread noodles (1 package)
4 shrimp peeled and deveined
⅓ cup ground pork
⅙ red onion
2 Tablespoons cilantro coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons Chinese celery coarsely chopped
4 cherry tomatoes
1 Tablespoon roasted peanuts

Dressing Ingredients

2 Tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1 Tablespoon palm sugar
1-5 Thai chilis

Instructions

Soak the Noodles: Place the dried bean thread noodles in a bowl with room temperature water. Allow the noodles to soak until they are soft and pliable, approximately 10 minutes.
Prepare the Veggies: Slice the onion finely. Chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces (cherry tomatoes can be sliced in half, larger tomatoes can be sliced into thin wedges).¹ Coarsely chop the Chinese celery and cilantro leaves. If using the stems of the celery, they can be sliced on the diagonal.
Make the Dressing: Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar in a bowl. Mix until the palm sugar is completely dissolved into the liquid.² Add as few or many Thai chilis as you'd like. They should be sliced finely. Taste and adjust the dressing according to your taste preferences. It should lead with sourness.
Cook the Noodles: Heat a pot of water on medium high until it comes to a boil. Add the soaked bean thread noodles and allow them to cook for 2 minutes. (They will be translucent when they are done). Remove the noodles to a clean serving bowl with a pair of tongs.³
Cook the Protein: To the same pot of hot water, add the shrimp and cook for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Remove to the same serving bowl when they're done. Finally, pour out most of the water in the pot, leaving only a thin layer to cover the bottom. Add the ground pork to the pot and cook thoroughly, using your utensil to chop up any large clumps as it cooks. Add the cooked pork to the noodles and shrimp.
Assemble the Salad: To the bowl with cooked noodles, shrimp, and pork, add the dressing you prepared earlier. Use tongs to toss the dressing with the other ingredients, making sure the noodles are well coated. Add the fresh vegetables and toss again. Sprinkle with roasted peanuts.
Serve: Serve this glass noodle salad with fresh cucumber slices or a wedge of cabbage for additional crunch. It's best enjoyed soon after making it.

Video

Notes

1. If you are using large juicy tomatoes, you may want to remove the inside pulp. Removing the insides will prevent the juice from diluting the salad dressing.

2. If you are starting with hard block of palm sugar, you can use a sharp knife to shave off thin slices at a time. This helps it to dissolve more easily.

3. The cooked bean thread noodles will clump up and stick together. Don't worry. As soon as you add the dressing, they will separate into their individual strands again.

Nutrition