Thai Pomelo Salad (Yam Som-O)
It’s time to get curious and make a deliciously sweet and spicy Thai Pomelo Salad with us, Curious Elephant style. Salads come in so many different forms and we love salads that have a range of textures and layers of flavours in each bite. Pomelo is the largest variety of citrus fruit in the world. It tastes like a grapefruit but without the bitterness or sour notes. Also known as Yam Som O in its native Thailand, you can pair this sweet and spicy salad with any fish or chicken dish. It also makes a fantastic BBQ side.
Serves: 3 - 4 as a side
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups pomelo broken into chunks (2 cups is a little under 1 average-sized fruit)
- 3 tbsp shredded coconut – toasted in a small pan until golden brown
- 1 – 2 tbsp Curious Elephant Malaysian Chilli Sambal
- 4 tablespoon roasted peanuts
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- ½ stem lemongrass finely sliced
- 2 kaffir lime leaf finely sliced
- 2 tbsp mint leaves roughly torn
- 2 tbsp of coriander roughly torn
DRESSING
- 1½ tsp Palm Sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel the pomelo and discard the peel. Working with one section at a time, use your hands to peel off the pith, leaving just the flesh. Gently break apart the fruit, leaving bite-sized pieces
- Peel and very thinly slice the shallots and lemongrass. Remove the central rib from the lime leaf and very finely slice then chop into small pieces
- Roughly tear or chop the mint and coriander
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a mortar and pestle and grind down the palm sugar. Mix them together well. Adjust the taste to your own preference if you want it a little more tart (add more lime) or sweeter (add more palm sugar)
- Add the other ingredients to the bowl - pomelo, toasted coconut, peanuts, Malaysian Chilli Sambal, shallot, lemongrass, lime leaf, mint and cilantro. Mix everything together gently so you don't break the fruit too much, but so that everything is well combined