In many Thai restaurants, you’ll find Yum Woon Sen listed as a salad or an appetizer. I prefer to eat this sweet and sour noodle dish as a main course. When I used to order or make Thai food, I stuck to what I know: Pad Thai or Pad See Eu — or my favorite curry dish. My sister-in-law helped broaden my knowledge about more savory Thai cuisine. My sister-in-law first introduced me to this dish. Yum Woon See is made with glass noodles and chili and lime dressing. Simple ingredients, yet so savory mixed together. Born and raised in Thailand, my sister-in-law immigrated to the United States when she married my brother. At first, she thought she would not find the many scrumpious food dishes that are native to Thailand. Then, she found markets that sold the many spices and ingredients to cook Thai cuisine. Every time she would travel back to Thailand, my sister-in-law would have her grandmother show her how to prepare more Thai dishes. My sister-in-law uses basic ingredients such as limes, cilantro, onions and sugar to turn dishes into savory sweet, tangy and spicy meals. I always look forward to discovering and learning to prepare more wonderful Thai dishes.
Ingredients
1 2 oz. bundle glass noodles
2 tablespoons oil
1 boneless chicken breast, sliced
1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 lb. squid, cleaned and cut in 1″ strips
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-2 limes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 Thai chili pepper, chopped or 1-3 teaspoons dried chili peppers (to taste)
1 tablespoon fried chopped garlic
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
5-6 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 cup chinese broccoli, sliced thin
Directions
Prepare glass noodles by placing the noodles in a heat-resistant bowl and pouring boiling hot water over the noodles. Let soak for 6 to 10 minutes. Move the noodles around to make sure that all the strands are submerged. Strain the noodles. Pour the noodles into a large mixing bowl and cut them with scissors randomly to make the strands easier to serve and eat. In a wok or frying pan, heat oil. Add chicken and cook until browned. Add shrimp and squid. Cook until shrimp turns pink, careful to not overcook squid. When the chicken, shrimp and squid are cooked, remove from heat and set aside. Prepare dressing. The dressing is all about personal tastes. This dressing can be made as mild as you want or as hot as you want — depending on your chili pepper usage — and as sour as you want depending on how much lime juice you use. Begin by squeezing limes to get lime juice. For one lime, I get about 3 tablespoons of juice. For every tablespoon of fish sauce, I use about 5 tablespoons of lime juice. Mix the fish sauce, lime juice, chili peppers and sugar together well. Adjust ingredients for taste. Add fried garlic to the noodles and mix them. Add dressing to the noodles and mix well. Add the peanuts, shrimp, chicken, squid, onion, Chinese broccoli and cilantro to the noodles. Toss well and taste. You may need more dressing depending on water content of the noodles and the concentrations of your seasonings. The noodles should be soft (not mushy) and full of flavors (spicy and sour). Serve as an appetizer or main course.