Yum Yai Salad

Name: Yum Yai Salad
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 1/4 cup Nam Prik Pao (chile jam; see recipe); 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 teaspoons chopped palm sugar; A pinch of chopped bird’s-eye chile (if you like it spicy); 1 medium English cucumber, peeled; 1 large carrot, peeled; 2 cups vegetable oil for frying; 3/4 cup ice-cold water; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 egg yolk; 1 1/2 loosely packed cups small whole green leaves, like baby kale, shiso leaves, pea shoots or arugula; 3 radishes, very thinly sliced; 6 ounces blanched green beans or wax beans; 2 cups any mixed greens or torn lettuce leaves.

Recipe from Pim Techamuanvivit

Adapted by Mark Bittman

Yum Yai Salad — Ian Allen for The New York Times

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(43)
Comments: Read comments

This recipe first came in The Times in a magazine article by Mark Bittman about the Silicon Valley executive-turned-restauranteur Pim Techamuanvivit and Kin Khao, her Thai home-cooking restaurant in San Francisco. This dish is an adaptation of one served there: a combo of raw, steamed and fried vegetables drizzled with a chile-jam dressing laced with fish sauce and lime. —Mark Bittman

Featured in: Thai-Style Thai

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

¼cup Nam Prik Pao (chile jam; see recipe)
2tablespoons lime juice
2tablespoons fish sauce
2teaspoons chopped palm sugar
A pinch of chopped bird’s-eye chile (if you like it spicy)
1medium English cucumber, peeled
1large carrot, peeled
2cups vegetable oil for frying
¾cup ice-cold water
¾cup all-purpose flour
1egg yolk
1½loosely packed cups small whole green leaves, like baby kale, shiso leaves, pea shoots or arugula
3radishes, very thinly sliced
6ounces blanched green beans or wax beans
2cups any mixed greens or torn lettuce leaves.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Whisk together the Nam Prik Pao, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chopped chile if you’re using it; set aside. Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber and carrots into long ribbons; set them aside.
Step 2
Put the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. While it heats, lightly whisk together the ice water, flour and egg yolk in a medium bowl; the batter should be lumpy and quite thin. When the oil is ready for frying, start dipping the whole leaves (one at a time) into the batter to coat, and carefully add them to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan; fingers or chopsticks are the best tools for the job. Fry the leaves in batches, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, just a few minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to paper towels to drain; repeat the process until you have fried all of the leaves.
Step 3
To assemble the salad, start layering the ingredients in a large shallow bowl or onto a platter. The beans are best on the bottom because they’re the heaviest, and the tempura leaves should go mostly on top so they remain crisp; otherwise, the order is up to you. Drizzle each layer with some of the dressing as you go; serve immediately.