Yum Woon Sen - Spicy Glass Noodle Salad
I had always loved this particular story that my "Ba" (Auntie) Add told me about. My mom doesn't cook and oftentimes we joke that the cooking gene skipped her. Ba Add, my mom's cousin taught her to make this dish when my parents first got married. She missed a crucial step and moved to American right after my aunt taught her some cooking basics. So, for their first year in America, my mom would make this dish for my dad, weekly. She would soak the noodles and immediately go straight to mixing the salad together and serving it. She never cooked the noodles and served these flavorless, hard, bean strands to my dad and he ate it lovingly... not having the heart to tell her that she was making the dish wrong.
This dish can be easily doubled to serve as a side salad for four or a main dish for two hungry people. It's a fun light salad to bring to a party. You will not be coming home with leftovers.
Cooking Notes:
Soaking the noodle is important because blanching unsoaked noodles actually leads to soggy over cooked noodles. Season the salad with salt and soy sauce first, then a light sprinkle of sugar. I use soy sauce because fish sauce is a little too pungent for this dish. Finally, finish seasoning with freshly squeezed limes away from the heat. When the heat hit limes, it tends to come out bitter, so avoid that.
Spicy Glass Noodle Salad
INGREDIENTS
Prep Time 10 mins | Serves 2
3oz dried mung bean noodles, soaked in cold water
1/4 lb ground chicken
8-10 medium shrimps
2 scallions cut into 1- inch pieces
1 medium shallot julienned
1-2 limes depending on desired tartness
couple sprigs of cilantro, chopped
1-2 red 🌶 sliced
2 cloves of garlic slices
1/2 tsp of sugar to taste
1/4 tsp of sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Soak noodles in cool water for 10 minutes until soft. Trim them to shorten them, making easier to eat later.
Bring a pot of water to boil, add glass noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent. Strain noodles and run cold water through them and strain again. This loosens the clumps of noodles making it easier to season and toss.
In a medium high heat skillet, "poach" ground chicken by placing meat with two tablespoons of water. Stir until cooked. Ground chicken will have released some more juices into the pan. Add Shrimp and steam/sauté until cooked, about three minutes depending on size. The water will be almost evaporated at this point. A little bit of browning is okay.
Place the chicken and shrimp mixture in a mixing bowl . Add shallots and garlic, and then season with a hearty pinch of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of thin soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon of sugar. Adjust/season to your taste but these are a good start. Add your lime. 1 juicy lime should be enough but have a second one on hand.
Toss in blanched noodles, scallions, chili, and half of the cilantro. Check flavors and serve.
Garnish with remaining cilantro and serve immediately.