Yum Woon Sen is a Thai glass noodle salad built around shrimp, ground pork, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a sharp fish-sauce-and-lime dressing. It comes together in 25 minutes and uses one pot for all the cooking. That alone makes it worth knowing.
The short version of why this works
Two things carry this salad. First, the dressing ratio โ equal parts fish sauce, lime juice, and water, with just enough sugar to round out the acid โ hits all four flavors at once without any single one taking over. Second, the glass noodles soak up that dressing rather than letting it pool at the bottom, so every forkful is seasoned rather than bland in the middle and sharp at the edges. Get those two things right and the rest falls into place.
What can go wrong
- Noodles clump into a solid mass. After draining, rinse them briefly under cold water and toss them with a splash of the dressing right away. They stick fast once they cool dry.
- Shrimp turn rubbery. Two minutes in boiling water is the ceiling, not a suggestion. Pull them the moment they curl and go opaque, then spread them on a plate so carry-over heat doesnโt keep cooking them.
- The salad tastes flat. Glass noodles absorb a lot of salt. Taste the finished bowl โ not just the dressing โ and add a few extra drops of fish sauce or lime directly to the assembled salad if needed.
- Cucumber makes everything watery. Slice it, spread it on a paper towel, and let it sit for five minutes before adding it to the bowl. This takes almost no extra time and keeps the dressing from getting diluted.
- Peanuts go soft immediately. Add them right before serving, not during tossing. Once they hit the dressing they lose their crunch within minutes.
About the ingredients
- Glass noodles (bean thread / cellophane noodles): Sold dried in most Asian grocery stores and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. Look for ones made from mung bean starch โ they hold their texture better than sweet potato starch versions after dressing.
- Birdโs eye chilies: These are genuinely hot. Two chilies makes a medium-spicy salad. One is mild; three is serious. Remove the seeds if you want the flavor without as much burn.
- Fish sauce: Brands vary a lot in saltiness. Taste your dressing before you pour it โ if itโs aggressively salty, add a little more lime juice and water rather than more sugar.
- Protein swaps: The recipe works with diced firm tofu (pat it very dry first) or cooked chicken in place of the shrimp and pork. Keep the total protein weight roughly the same so the dressing-to-filling ratio stays balanced.
Storage and make-ahead
Dress it at the table โ a pre-dressed salad goes limp fast. You can cook the shrimp and pork, soak and drain the noodles, and mix the dressing up to a day ahead; keep them in separate containers in the fridge. The cut vegetables hold well for about four hours covered. Once everything is combined and dressed, the salad is best eaten within an hour. If you do have leftovers, theyโll keep refrigerated for one day, but the noodles will absorb most of the dressing overnight โ add a squeeze of lime and a small splash of fish sauce before eating to bring it back.
Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
Ingredients
Salad
- 100 grams glass noodles soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- 200 grams shrimp peeled and deveined
- 150 grams ground pork
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- ยผ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- ยผ cup roasted peanuts coarsely crushed
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 small bird's eye chilies sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the glass noodles: soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes until softened, then drain and set aside.
- In a pot of boiling water, cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes or until pink and opaque. Remove and set aside. In the same pot, cook the ground pork over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces, until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- For the dressing, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, chilies, and garlic in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Adjust to taste.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained noodles, shrimp, ground pork, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine, ensuring the ingredients are well coated.
- Transfer the salad to serving bowls, garnishing with crushed peanuts for a delightful crunch.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I make this salad ahead for a party?
Yes, but keep the components separate until just before serving. Cook the proteins, prep the vegetables, and mix the dressing up to 24 hours in advance, then toss everything together at the last minute so the noodles stay separate and the vegetables stay crisp.
Where do I find glass noodles?
Any Asian grocery store will carry them, usually near the dried noodles or in the international aisle. Many large supermarkets stock them too โ check the Asian foods section; theyโre often labeled bean thread noodles or cellophane noodles.
How do I tone down the heat without losing the flavor?
Use one birdโs eye chili instead of two, and remove the seeds before slicing. The chili flavor stays in the dressing but the heat drops noticeably โ youโre not losing much by pulling the seeds out.