Different Types Of Thai Salad To Try For Lunch At Home

Thai food is famous around the globe for having a bright and complex taste and Thai salads are a proven example of it. Thai salads, well, they are flavour-packed, beautiful medleys of herbs, strong profiles of flavours, and vegetables. These are salads famous for their spicy and sour, salty, and sweet tastes and flavours, which is quite rejuvenating, thus remaining one of the most popular in Thailand. They often consist of a foundation of fresh vegetables, fruits and proteins washed down in exciting sauces that stimulate the taste buds. Every Thai salad has a history, frequently emphasising the local ingredients and cooking customs of Thailand.

Video Credit: Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana/ YouTube

Yum Woon Sen Goong (Glass Noodle Salad With Shrimp)

Yum Woon Sen Goong is a delectable Thai salad that highlights the freshness of seafood and is created with glass noodles and prawns. This salad commonly consists of fresh vegetables and ingredients such as red onions and also cilantro, which are seasoned and dipped in a spicy lime juice fish sauce and chilli dressing. When paired with the umami flavours of the prawns, the texture of the crisp veggies and chewy noodles creates a dish that's sure to please even for those seeking something light but filling.

Image Credit: Freepik

Yum Mama (Instant Noodle Salad)

Yum Mama, a fun spin on the classic Thai salad, features none other than the humble instant noodle. For instant noodles, despite their accessibility, this salad turns the dish into a colourful and tasty dinner. Cooked noodles are combined with carrots, shredded cabbage, and a spicy, acidic dressing made with fish sauce, lime juice, chilli powder, and a small amount of sugar. The result is a creamy and filling salad that shows how flexible instant noodles can be.

Som Tum (Papaya Salad)

The popular salad dish som tum comes from northeastern Thailand. Although it was originally spicy, there are now a number of varieties that include flavours that are sweet, salty, and sour. The most well-known variant of this dish, known as som tum thai, is made of green papaya combined with dried prawns and carrots, as well as peanuts, lime dressing, chilli and garlic. But there are a tonne of versions where you may add extra ingredients (like pickled eggs, fermented fish or crab) or replace the papaya with something else (like cucumber, corn, etc.).

Image Credit: Unsplash

Also read: Why Is Thai Food So Popular Right Now?

Yum Som-O (Spicy Fruit Salad)

This is a savoury and spicy salad that goes well with anything, unlike "fruit salad," which is typically eaten as dessert in the West. This Thai salad is an outstanding mix of sweet and spicy flavours and is made of various chunks of tropic fruits, such as apple, guava, rose apple, pineapple, and dragonfruit, with chillies, fish sauce, and lime dressing.

Yum Som-O (Pomelo Salad)

This is a savoury and spicy salad that goes well with anything, unlike "fruit salad," which is typically eaten as dessert in the West. This Thai salad is a sumptuous combination of the sweet, spicy sensation of Thai food made of chunks of distinct tropical fruits like apple, guava, rose apple, pineapple, dragonfruit and mixed with chillies sprinkled with fish sauce and lime dressing.

Image Credit: Flickr

Yum Tua Plu (Wing Bean Salad)

Yum Tua Plu is a salad where the feature of the wing beans, asparagus beans or four-angled beans is highlighted in terms of taste and texture. The tangy-spicy vinegar dressing, which frequently includes lime juice, fish sauce, chilli, and garlic, is mixed with the crunchy and slightly bitter wing beans after they are chopped or julienned. This salad is a wonderful way to start learning about the marvellous and tasty wing bean type of food.

Yum Ta Krai (Lemongrass Salad)

Lemongrass is a strong and aromatic ingredient that is highlighted in Yum Ta Krai, a fragrant and flavourful Thai salad. Sliced thinly, the lemongrass is mixed with cherry tomatoes, onions, shredded chicken or pork, and a spicy dressing made of lime juice, fish sauce, and chilli. The recipe results in a fresh herb salad, which should taste slightly tangy with the tasty hint of lemongrass when well balanced with the sharpness of the dressing.

Yum Hua Pli (Banana Blossom Salad)

Yum Hua Pli is a lesser-known but no less delicious Thai salad with the unusual and delicate flower of bananas. Shrimp, roasted coconut, and fresh herbs are combined with shredded banana blossoms—purple, cone-shaped flowers that sprout from the banana plant—in a tangy-spicy sauce. This salad is incredibly harmonic and fulfilling because of the mix of the somewhat bitter banana flower, the juicy prawns, and the powerful flavours of the dressing.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Yum Pla Krapong (Grilled Mackerel Salad)

A Thai dish called Yum Pla Krapong highlights the luscious, oily mackerel fish. Fish sauce, lime juice, chilli, and a little sugar are combined to make a zesty dressing that is served over pan-seared or grilled mackerel fillets. To balance out the strong taste of the mackerel, sliced onions, mint leaves, and toasted peanuts are frequently used as salad garnishes.

Yum Ruam Mit Talay (Mixed Seafood Salad)

This is a popular seafood dish in Thailand that you can find both in side-type restaurants and high-end restaurants. Squid and prawns are among the mixed seafood used to make Yum Ruam Mit Talay. Tomato, cucumber slices, Thai celery, spring onions, white cabbage, jelly mushrooms, coriander root, and lime-chilli dressing are all included.

Image Credit: Freepik

Thai salads as a delicate tradition snapped through a pleasant study of taste, texture, and components of Thai food culture. Each salad is having its own flavour according to the choice of the people from different corners of the nation having fresh vegetables, herbs, proteins, and salad dressings. Savour the colourful and revitalising domain of Thai salads during your upcoming lunch!