The use of instant noodles in this dish makes it very affordable and very popular too in Thailand. Being a yum, it is a little bit sweet with a bit of sour from some kick of lime, and of course a little bit spicy from chili powder. Add that all flavor to wonderfully chewy instant noodles and dry sautéed pork and you've got an amazing dish on your hands.
Every year when it the weather gets a bit too warm and hazy, my youngest daughter will suddenly have little to no appetite. When this happens, I will suddenly also be completely out of ideas of what to cook. This year, my mom told me to try this recipe because now that my youngest daughter is all grown up, she can enjoy more spicy food. Let's try! My mom has never been wrong.
This dish is supposed to be quick and easy, utilizing anything you have on hand. Let me know if this cures your food sluggishness as well!
- Daisy
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I love this dish. I definitely did not appreciate the yums, or a type of Thai salad, until I was much older. The blasts of all the flavors; sweet, salty, spicy, sour, that is what I really think Thai food is all about. You can read more about them and other types of Thai salads on wikipedia.
What really makes this dish special though is the instant noodles. I would definitely recommend you stick to the Mama brand. It is readily available in most, if not all, Asian supermarkets and is essential to this dish. Try to replace it with any other type of noodles and it will be a completely different dish. And be careful not to overcook it. I would actually tell you to make sure its a bit al dente. Yea, its the Italian in me. This can be shared as an appetizer or a light meal for one.
This version uses ground pork, which is very classic Thai, but my favorite version is a seafood version I love to order whenever I go to the beaches in Thailand. It will usually come with fresh squid and shrimp and is absolutely DELICIOUS and oh so very refreshing in the Thai heat!
- Darin
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Yum Mama
ยำมาม่า
Instant Noodle Salad
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 lb Ground Pork
1 Shallot, sliced
1/4 tsp Salt
1 package Instant Noodle, Mama brand
1 tsp Fried Garlic Oil
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Prik Manow Num Pla (this is essentially fish sauce, lime juice and sliced Thai chilies)*
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Boiled Egg, quartered
1) Put some oil in the pan, swirl the oil around then pour it out, we're only looking for a light coating. Then, heat up the pan and stir in ground pork, cooking until no longer pink (no need to brown). Mix in the shallots and salt and set aside to cool in a mixing bowl.
1 tsp Fried Garlic Oil
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Prik Manow Num Pla (this is essentially fish sauce, lime juice and sliced Thai chilies)*
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 Boiled Egg, quartered
1) Put some oil in the pan, swirl the oil around then pour it out, we're only looking for a light coating. Then, heat up the pan and stir in ground pork, cooking until no longer pink (no need to brown). Mix in the shallots and salt and set aside to cool in a mixing bowl.
2) In a pot, boil the noodle according package directions, but cut the cooking time by a minute or so. Omit all the flavor packages. Drain when it's done and rinse with cold water and drain very well, otherwise the flavors will be diluted.
3) Stir in garlic oil (if you don't have any feel free to use the oil included with the instant noodles), then mix in the Prik Num Pla, cayenne and sugar. Adjust to taste.
4) Put the noodles in a beautiful dish and top with the boiled egg, and garnish with cilantro. Aroy-Ka!
*You can make this very easily and to your own tastes. Start off with half a lime and 1/2 tbsp of fish sauce. Then add in 1-2 thinly sliced Thai chili (bird's eye chili) and adjust to your taste. You can also sprinkle in a bit of sugar.
