Yam Som-O with Mandarin Oranges | ยำส้มโอ ใช้ส้มแมนดาริน Recipe
- Daniel
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
After Chinese New Year, there are always too many mandarin oranges lying around. You eat a few, give some away, and somehow there are still plenty left sitting in the fridge. This salad came from one of those moments.
Instead of forcing myself to eat them plain, I thought, why not use them the way pomelo is used in Thai salads? It turns out, it works surprisingly well.
Traditional Thai pomelo salad, often known as Yam Som-O, is a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. It usually features pomelo tossed with fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, dried shrimp, peanuts, and herbs.
It is light, refreshing, and packed with texture. While pomelo has a firmer bite and less sweetness, mandarin oranges bring a softer texture and a brighter, more fragrant sweetness.
This version is not traditional, but it stays true to the spirit of the dish. It is fresh, punchy, and incredibly easy to put together.
If you have leftover mandarin oranges and want something different from the usual desserts, give this a try. It is a great way to turn something simple into something exciting.
Ingredients:
(Serve 2)
Vinaigrette:
Fresh Lime Juice, 1 TBSP
Fish Sauce, 1 TBSP
Chili Padi Deseeded Finely Sliced, 1 Or Any Chili
Gula Melaka / Muscovado Sugar, 1 TBSP
Salad:
Mandarin Oranges, 2 Or Pomelo Segments
Dried Shrimps, 1/2 TBSP
Coconut Oil, For Cooking
Peanuts, 1 TBSP
Dessicated Coconut, 1 TBSP
Shallots Finely Minced, 3
Coriander Coarsely Chopped, A Handful
Dried Mint, 1/2 TSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
Equipment:
Cast Iron Skillet
Directions:
Prepare the vinaigrette
In a bowl, combine lime juice, fish sauce, chili, and sugar.
Mix well until the sugar dissolves.
Taste and adjust to balance sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Prepare the fruit
Peel the mandarin oranges.
Remove any seeds and as much of the white membrane as possible.
Separate into segments and place into a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the toppings
Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until softened.
Drain and chop roughly.
Heat a little oil in a skillet and lightly toast the shrimp until fragrant.
In the same or another pan, toast the peanuts in a bit of oil until golden.
Remove, chop roughly, and set aside.
Toast the desiccated coconut in a dry pan until lightly golden.
Assemble the salad
Add the toasted shrimp, peanuts, coconut, shallots, coriander, and dried mint into the bowl with the oranges.
Pour in the vinaigrette.
Toss gently so the fruit does not break apart.
Taste and adjust
Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve
Serve immediately while fresh.
Fabulous combination...
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