Yum Yai Salad Recipes

YUM YAI SALAD

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

NAM PRIK PAO (CHILE JAM)

Steps:

• Combine the tamarind paste with 1/2 cup very hot water, and break up the paste with a spoon or your fingers; soak for a few minutes, breaking up the paste a few more times if needed. Push the mixture through a mesh strainer with the back of a spoon; set aside the pulp that passes through the strainer, and discard what remains inside the strainer. Stem and seed the chiles.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not quite smoking. Add the chiles, and cook, stirring, for 15 to 20 seconds, making sure they don't burn. Remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate.
• Add the garlic to the oil, and fry, stirring frequently, until just golden brown. (It will continue to brown after it's out of the oil, so don't go too dark now.) Transfer to the plate with the chiles. Fry the shallots until golden brown, and transfer to the plate. Turn off the heat, leaving the oil in the pan. Transfer the chiles, garlic and shallots to a food processor; pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture turns into a paste (no need to make it totally smooth).
• Turn the heat under the pan to medium. Add the shrimp paste, and cook, stirring and breaking it up, for about a minute or 2. Add the palm sugar, and cook, stirring, until it dissolves. Add the chile, garlic and shallot mixture, the tamarind pulp and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce. Stir to combine, turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally so the bottom of the pan doesn't burn, until it thickens slightly, 2 or 3 minutes. Taste the mixture; if it still needs salt, add more fish sauce, a little at a time.
• You can store the jam (and the oil) in a jar in the fridge or freezer; use it in stir-fries or soups, spoon it on top of rice or noodles, spread it on toast or use it as the base for the yum yai dressing (recipe online).

YUM NUA - THAI BEEF SALAD

Steps:

• Start making the dressing by crushing the minced garlic and bird chili peppers together against the cutting board with the flat side of your knife to make a paste.
• Put this paste in a small bowl and add lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.
• Whisk together to combine and set aside.
• To cook the steak, heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
• Sear the steak on one side and continue to cook 5-6 minutes.
• Turn over steak and cook for another 5 minutes or until medium rare or medium.
• Remove from heat and let stand on cutting board for 5 minutes.
• After meat has rested, slice steak very thinly.
• In a large bowl, add beef (and any juices left on cutting board), mint, shallots, cilantro and cucumber.
• Pour the dressing on top and toss gently.
• Line a serving platter with romaine leaves and pile beef salad on top.
• Serve with rice if desired.

THAI YUM SALAD

Steps:

• Peel and de-vein the prawns.
• Slice the onion and tomato.
• Dice the cucumber into small pieces and chop the spring onions.
• Chop finely all the sauce ingredients together adding the lemon juice, vinegar, fish sauce and sugar, mix well and leave to one side to infuse for approx.
• 30 minutes.
• Char-grill the Prawns or boil until the prawns turn pink, and then place into the salad bowl.
• Mix the prawns, vegetables and roasted rice together and then add all the sauce in and mix well.
• Serve with salad, garnish with coriander leaves.