Step-by-step to a quick-and-easy bean thread noodle salad recipe

Seafood glass noodle salad is one of famous Thai authentic spicy salads you can get everywhere in Thailand because the distinctive sourness in balancing 3-flavor dressing can refresh you from cheesy food or greasy deep fried stuff.

I have to recall how I make seafood dipping sauceand implement it on the recipe. The sauce ingredients are the same, but it has more intense for my glass noodle (bean thread noodle) to absorb the zesty flavor.

Glass noodle or bean thread noodle has low on calorie, and I consider it as a comfort food which can be a snack, breakfast, lunch, dinner with or without rice. It has plenty of proteins, carbs, and vitamins from everything that mixed into it. So…is it good enough?

You might be familiar with Pad Woon Sen which is a stir-frying version of the glass noodle but how it’s done is making different feeling when getting into the oil.

I have found that Thai restaurants in the US—well, most part I’ve visited is the West coast—try to put this recipe on their menus and it tends to be an “I can eat this everyday” dish.

The steps are simple using 3 methods: steaming in boiling water, pan stir-frying(ground pork), and cold mixing referring to Thai cooking 101 page.

Step 1: Sauce mixing

You can find the recipe of seafood dipping sauceas it refers to a dressing on this recipe.

Smash the fresh garlic cloves, preserved garlic and fresh chili in a pestle and mortar, add fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. I don’t recommend using a blender in this recipe as it will kill the coarse texture of the garlic.

You can adjust it as you like and try not to make it too spicy at first. Set aside while preparing other things else.

Step 2: Steam in the boiling water

Glass noodle and the wood ear fungus

Find a pack of dry bean thread noodleon Amazon or local Asian market and drown it in the water until soft.

Bring water to a boil and dip the glass noodle quickly or until it’s translucent, the rest to drain.

Same as the wood ear fungus, immerse in the boiling water for 10 extra secs and rest with the noodle.

Seafood: shrimps and squid

Peel and devein the shrimps, clean them, if you don’t get a pack of ready-to-cook shrimps. Then, you can make the shrimps bouncing and firm by soaking them in cornstarch for 10 minutes and rinse. Steep in the boiling water until cooked.

After that, find a pack of squid or calamari—you can either get a frozen or fresh one—get it in a steam basket and dip in the boiling water for 5-10 seconds or until it’s shrunk to swirl.

Rest all the seafood aside with the noodle and the fungus.

Step 3: Stir-frying the ground pork(no oil added)

Heat the pan with ground pork in medium high. Use a spatula to spread it evenly and let it cook without any seasonings. Also, rest in a strainer and let it cool down.

You might ask “hey! Seafood salad, how come do we add pork?” And I might answer, I don’t know! Lol

But I found out that pork will play a huge role in stabilizing the sauce flavor while the cooked bean thread noodle trying to swallow all the sauce to it. And yes, ground pork is adding a free umami to the dish as well.

If you don’t like pork or can’t eat it, use ground chicken or beef instead.

Step 4: Prepare the fresh vegetables

1. Yellow/white Onion – slice not to thin and not too wide. You need to have something to chew but not too overwhelming.
2. Celery – slice crosswise thinly, and let it sip out the fresh umami.
3. Tomato – cut in half, get rid of the seed inside it, then dice to thumb size.
4. Cilantro – wash and rinse, then cut

The freshness of the vegetables in seafood glass noodle salad is the most significant of making the dish. Even though you get the produce fresh but you need to be careful about cutting them. Don’t try to bruise the vegetables when preparing because that will let the salad mushy and wet.

I recommend to use a sharp knife and cut gently.

Step 5: Mingle and Yum Yum

Yum in Thai means “ put it all together” or “mise en place” especially for salad.

Nothing is complicating. All you need to do is avoiding these mistakes:

• Try not to mix it when it’s hot. That will make the vegetables cooked and become mushy. Follow the steps, timing will be perfect.
• Yum Woon Sen will not last after 15 minutes. The glass noodle is starting bloated and bland. If you plan to make for a picnic, separate the cooked noodle may be the better option.
• If you don’t want it too garlicky or spicy, substitute with chili oil paste and adjust the ratio of 3 flavors(salty, sweet, and sour)
• Sourness is prominent. It will not refresh you if you can’t make it sour enough!

Conclusion

Seafood glass noodle salad is one of “you must try” when you visit Thailand, it’s everywhere from local to high-end restaurants. However, if you’d like to try cooking it yourself, I recommend you do so as it’s quick and easy.

I guarantee if you’re a fan of spicy Thai food, this recipe will make you come back to represent the art of cooking East Asia. It’s super authentic, mouth-refreshing, ZAP, and yummy.

Yum woon sen is the Thai name of this recipe if you have a chance to ask for the menu or invite multicultural friends trying out.

Please comment below if you’ve already made one!