Vegan yum som-o or Thai pomelo salad is a refreshing salad great for hot summer days. It was pomelo season over Lunar New Year so I made the most of it by enjoying this delicious salad.
In Thailand, this salad comes with prawns 80% of the time. The prawns add a nice contrast of texture and the briny flavour works well with the tangy pomelo. BUT if you can’t get hold of vegan prawns, this salad is great with just pomelo too! I made my own vegan prawns using this Vegan Prawns Recipe and it was yum!
There’s not much to say about this salad, really. It’s the standard amazing Thai salad formula of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. Matched with the zing of kaffir lime, the fragrance of lemongrass and toasted coconut, and the nuttiness of the peanut, it’s perfect. Topped with coriander for that extra note of freshness. Vegan yum som-o is a classic Thai salad with absolutely nothing to improve.
If you love pomelo like me, check out Mango Pomelo Sago Dessert (杨枝甘露) for another yummy dish.
Ingredients
Instructions
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These are all the ingredients. For the peanuts, toast over low heat, grind, and set aside. For the coconut flakes, toast over low heat and set aside. Peel the pomelo and break into small wedges. Juice the calamansi limes. Thinly slice the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and shallots (if using).
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Mix the lime juice, sugar, and soy sauce / vegan fish sauce, and bird's eye chilli. Pound the chillies in this mixture.
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Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and shallots, and mull it around, pounding gently.
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Add the wedges of pomelo, prawn, ground peanut, toasted coconut. Toss gently until well mixed.
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Top with coriander and serve.
