When I search the internet for “Thai salads,” what usually pops up are Western adaptations with commonly associated Thai or generally Asian nuances: often a lettuce and cabbage mix with fresh herbs and, more often than not, a creamy nut-based dressing. But when I actually delve into traditional Thai cooking, specifically the food culture of my mother’s homeland, salads are something of another level. They’re not just the start to a meal or light midday lunch, and peanut sauce dressings are a rare find. These salads go far beyond the confines of lettuce tossed with dressing.
On trips to Thailand, I’ve seen Western-style salads at salad bars, hotel buffets, and even at the local Sizzler (which is a quite popular restaurant there, by the way). And although these places might provide a taste of home for tourists craving a bit of familiarity, even as a kid I’d think, Why come all the way here for salads tossed in ranch dressing when there’s so much more cultural inspiration to experience?
What I love about Thai food is how layers of bold flavors complement simple cooking techniques. A base of bracingly sour lime juice, fresh herbs, and spicy chiles create a template for limitless mind-blowing variations. Traditional Thai salads come in many varieties, and though some of these share ingredients in common, subtle differences in techniques and regionally influenced ingredients define each class.
Yum (pronounced more like yahm) is a category of tossed salads that can take many different shapes. Yum dishes often highlight a predominant ingredient like eggplant, seafood, noodles (like in my Yum Woon Sen recipe) and even hot dogs, a childhood favorite of mine. Fresh herbs, aromatics, and refreshing components like grapefruit and tomato are also commonly found in yum; but for me, the common thread in any great yum is a bright, citrusy sauce seasoned with chile and fish sauce. This dressing can do no wrong and adds so much flavor to anything it’s served with, be it crunchy green beans or a simple fried egg dish called Yum Khai Dao.
Thum-style salads refer to a pounding technique by use of a mortar and pestle to marry the components together. Similar to preparing curry pastes and spice blends, the use of a mortar and pestle to extract flavor and create smashed and softened textures via pounding proves un-replicable (no matter how many shortcut recipes exist out there). I find that thum often features ingredients that are all bold on their own: Fresh acidic notes from citrus and tomato, something salt-cured, sun-dried, or fermented like fish sauce or dried shrimp, aromatics, and raw produce components are all common. Green papaya and green beans are both prime examples of the latter component as they have their own distinct flavors but are subtle enough to showcase the many flavorful layers of a thum. They are both texturally hearty as well, able to withstand the pounding process.
Where yum and thum are identified by technique, two other salad categories, laab and plaah, are more based on their characteristic ingredients. When I see laab on a menu, I expect the dish’s fundamental base to include raw shallot, herbaceous hints of cilantro and mint, and a smoky, almost nutty note from khao kuah, a ground toasted rice powder that is essential to the dish..
Plaah is a style of salad that you could describe as the Thai version of a crudo, sashimi, or ceviche. Vibrant citrus is a key component to this dish as the main ingredients tend to be raw and, in theory, “cooked” by the salt and acid in the recipe. One of my favorite dishes of all time is koong chae nam pla: raw shrimp soaked in club soda and baking soda to rid the shrimp of impurities that’s dressed in a pungent and bright blend of raw garlic, chile, lime, and fish sauce.
In a time where access to ingredients is boundless, and modern interpretations of traditional recipes are celebrated, it’s crucial to recognize and honor the fundamental root identity of these dishes. Regardless of the style of Thai salad you are making, there is a signature checklist of flavor profiles that must be included: Sour, salty, sweet, savory, and spicy. With these five pillars of flavor working together harmoniously, you’ll want to make a new yum for every night of summer.
