Make Basic Thai salad

This classic Thai salad is a perfect light meal for summer. It achieves the traditional balance of Thai flavours: hot, salty, sour and sweet.

In thai cuisine a ‘yam’ (Thai salad) is traditionally included in a menu of four to five dishes served collectively. Central to the meal is rice, with the side dishes chosen to provide a balance of cooking styles and light and heavier flavours; a salad, a vegetable dish, a curry, a stir-fry, a deep-fried dish and a soup. Each diner helps themselves to rice and a spoonful, at a time, of each dish. In Australia, Thai salads are usually enjoyed on their own, making an ideal light meal for a warm summer’s night.

Serves 4-6

 

You will need:
15g dried wood-ear fungus (see ‘Tips and tricks’)
15g dried shrimps
100g mung bean noodles
500g small green prawns
2 small chicken breasts
2 Lebanese cucumbers
1/4 Chinese cabbage
3 shallots
2 stalks lemongrass
1/2 bunch coriander
1/3 cup Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup (75g) raw peanuts with skins, roasted

 

Dressing
2 red birdseye chillies
2 cloves garlic
3 coriander roots, washed 11/2 tbs grated palm sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
1/3 cup (80ml) lime juice

1. For dressing, cut chillies in half lengthways. Using a small spoon, scrape out seeds and discard. Place chilli halves, garlic and coriander roots in a mortar and, using a pestle, pound to a fine paste. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in fish sauce and lime juice until well combined. Taste and adjust flavour with either more sugar, fish sauce or lime juice, then transfer to a bowl.
2. Soak fungus, shrimps and noodles in bowls of warm water for 30 minutes, then drain. Slice fungus, chop shrimps and cut noodles into 10cm lengths. Peel raw prawns, discarding heads and tails. Halve horizontally, remove veins, cook in boiling water for 2 minutes or until just changed in colour. Drain and cool. Cook chicken in gently simmering water for 10 minutes. Drain, cool and slice thinly. 
3. Cut cucumbers in half lengthways, discard seeds, thinly slice diagonally. Thinly slice cabbage, shallots and white part only of lemongrass. Remove leaves from coriander then finely chop stems. To serve, place cucumber, cabbage, shallot, lemongrass and chopped coriander stems in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss gently to combine. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve.

Recipe, food preparation & styling: Sophia Young. Photography: Andrew Lehmann