Yam Som O

4.50 from 10 votes

Super fresh and full of bright colors, Thai Pomelo Salad (Yam Som O) is a fruit-based salad in a tart, spicy, sweet dressing.

You can prepare all of the ingredients for this flavorful salad in advance and just toss them together when you’re ready to serve. Be sure to see the post above for step-by-step photos of each ingredient. Feel free to customize - adding or taking out ingredients as you’d like.

Prep Time30

Cook Time5

Total Time35

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: DIY Thai, Entree Salad, homemade Thai, pomelo, thai fruit salad, thai salad

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $11.00

Equipment

Wok or skillet
Coffee/Spice Grinder

Ingredients

Pomelo Salad

3 cups Fresh Pomelo pieces (shredded with your hands into small chunks)
3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 cup Peanuts, roasted and unsalted
1/4 cup Dried Shrimp
1/4 cup thinly sliced Shallots
2 Makrut Lime Leaves, stems removed, very thinly sliced
1 stalk Lemongrass, bottom portion only, very thinly sliced
1/3 cup packed Mint Leaves

Dressing

1 Thai Bird's Eye Chili (use more or less depending on your spice preference; see note)
1 Tablespoon Palm Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 teaspoons Thai Fish Sauce

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

Pomelo - Peel pomelo and discard peel. Working with one section at a time, use your hands to peel off pith, leaving just the pale green or pink fruit. Gently break apart the fruit, leaving uneven bite-sized pieces.
Coconut - Heat a skillet or wok over medium heat. Add coconut and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes.
Peanuts - Place peanuts in a mortar and use a pestle to grind them until they are in coarse, uneven pieces. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, just roughly chop them with a knife.)
Dried Shrimp - Place dried shrimp in a coffee / spice grinder and pulse until shrimp is light and fluffy.
Shallots, Lime Leaves, Lemongrass - Finely chop these ingredients. (Note: Lime leaves and lemongrass can be a bit tough if left in large pieces, so be sure to slice these very finely.)
Mint - If mint leaves are small, leave them whole. If they are large, use your hands or a knife to roughly chop them.

Make Dressing

In a mortar and pestle, grind the chilis into a paste. Add palm sugar to the mortar and grind the ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Add fish sauce and lime juice and swirl the pestle around to mix. Taste the dressing and adjust as you’d like, adding more of any of the components. Set aside. (Note: See below if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.
At this point, all of the ingredients can be stored separately for up to a day.

Assemble Salad

Just before serving, combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes

Bird’s Eye Chili - These tiny Thai chilis come in red or green and are very spicy. One chili will give this salad a decent amount of spice. You can also use ¼ tsp of Dried Red Pepper Flakes instead of the chilis. If you prefer less heat, try using half a red or green jalapeno or see the Guide to Thai Ingredients for other substitutes. Be very careful when handling Bird’s Eye Chilis - if you use your bare hands to chop them, wash your hands well immediately after holding them (and be very careful not to touch your face / eyes after handling them).

Palm Sugar - This usually comes in large, dried rounds. Use a knife to slice off a large piece that is roughly 1 Tbsp. (You can always add more or less after tasting the dressing.) If you don’t have palm sugar, use light brown sugar, but start with about 2 tsp as it is sweeter than palm sugar.

Mortar and Pestle - If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a knife to finely chop any of the ingredients that should be ground in a mortar and pestle. For the dressing, just finely chop the chili and combine it with the palm sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the palm sugar starts to dissolve and then whisk everything to combine.

Nutrition