Yum woon sen

Name: Yum woon sen
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 100 g Glass noodles, dried; 150 g Pork, minced; 200 g Prawn, peeled and deveined; 3 tbsp Water, for poaching the pork; 3 piece Shallot, thinly sliced; 60 g Celery, Chinese celery, or inner stalks and leaves, cut in 3 cm lengths; 1 medium Tomato, in thin wedges; 2 piece Spring onion, in 3 cm lengths; 1 handful Coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped; 30 g Peanuts, roasted, roughly crushed; 4 tbsp Lime juice, about 3 limes; 3 tbsp Fish sauce; 1 tbsp Sugar; 4 piece Fresh chilli, bird's eye, or to taste; 2 clove Garlic

ยำวุ้นเส้น

Glass noodles tossed warm with minced pork, prawns, shallot, celery and tomato in a hot, sour, salty dressing of lime, fish sauce and bird's eye chilli.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ยำวุ้นเส้น.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 10 min
Rest: None
Total: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Hot
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Yum woon sen is a Thai salad of glass noodles dressed while still warm, so they soak up a sharp dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and bird's eye chilli. Minced pork is poached in a splash of water, prawns are cooked in the same pan, and both go in with the noodles along with sliced shallot, Chinese celery, tomato, coriander and spring onion. Some cooks add squid or dried shrimp, and a scatter of roasted peanuts on top is common. A yum should taste sour first, then salty and hot, with the sugar only rounding it off. Taste and adjust before it goes out; that is where the dish is made.

What you'll need

15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 15 ready

4 servings

Salad
Dressing

Ingredients

Servings

Salad

Glass noodles, dried100 g
Pork, minced150 g
Prawn, peeled and deveined200 g
Water, for poaching the pork44 ml
Shallot, thinly sliced3
Celery, Chinese celery, or inner stalks and leaves, cut in 3 cm lengths60 g
Tomato, in thin wedges1 medium
Spring onion, in 3 cm lengths2
Coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped1 handful
Peanuts, roasted, roughly crushed (optional)30 g

Dressing

Lime juice, about 3 limes59 ml
Fish sauce44 ml
Sugar15 ml
Fresh chilli, bird's eye, or to taste4
Garlic2 clove

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Soak the glass noodles in warm water for 10 minutes until pliable. Drain and snip them into shorter lengths with scissors.
10 min
Step 2
Pound the garlic and chillies to a rough paste and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
3 min
Step 3
Put the pork and water in a small pan over medium heat and cook 3 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Add the prawns and cook 2 minutes more until pink and just firm. Tip into a large bowl.
5 min
Step 4
Boil the noodles for 1 minute until clear, drain well, and add them to the bowl while hot. Pour over the dressing and toss.
2 min
Tip: Dress the noodles warm. Cold glass noodles stay slippery and the dressing slides off.
Step 5
Add the shallot, celery, tomato, spring onion and coriander and toss again. Taste and adjust with more lime, fish sauce or chilli. Pile onto a plate, scatter with peanuts and serve at once.
3 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 315 kcal
Protein: 26 g
Carbs: 32.6 g
Fat: 9.3 g
Saturated fat: 2.4 g
Fibre: 2.2 g
Sugar: 6.3 g
Sodium: 1177 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Shellfish

Dairy-free
Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Pork and prawns → Squid, or firm tofu with light soy instead of fish sauce
Squid needs a minute in boiling water. The tofu version makes a vegetarian yum.
Lime juice → Half lime juice, half white vinegar
For when the limes are poor. Less fragrant, just as sharp.

Tips

It does not keep. The noodles drink the dressing and go limp within an hour.
A few slices of white onion or a spoon of dried shrimp add crunch and salt.

History & culture

Yum woon sen is a standard order at Thai drinking dinners and seafood restaurants, where yum salads are shared with beer or whisky and soda. It is also a quick, light lunch on its own and a fixture of night markets and office-district stalls. People order it by heat, and the default is hot.

Yum is the Thai word for a mixed, dressed salad, and the lime, fish sauce and chilli dressing belongs to central Thai cooking. Glass noodles came with Chinese migrants and were taken into Thai soups, stir-fries and salads. Yum woon sen became a common restaurant dish during the 20th century and is now one of the best-known salads in the country.

Traditional — Thai cooks use Chinese celery (khuen chai), thinner and stronger than Western celery; the leaves and thin inner stalks of ordinary celery are the stand-in here. Squid, dried shrimp and wood ear mushroom are common additions.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Yum woon sen take?

25 min all in — 15 min prep, 10 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Hot.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Mortar and pestle, Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Fish sauce — 3 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.

How much fish sauce?

3 tbsp of Fish sauce.

How much sugar?

1 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Pork and prawns → Squid, or firm tofu with light soy instead of fish sauce. Squid needs a minute in boiling water. The tofu version makes a vegetarian yum. Lime juice → Half lime juice, half white vinegar. For when the limes are poor. Less fragrant, just as sharp.

Any tips from this recipe?

It does not keep. The noodles drink the dressing and go limp within an hour. A few slices of white onion or a spoon of dried shrimp add crunch and salt.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.