This is one of my favorite Thai Salad to order at Thai restaurants, unfortunately, not every restaurants have that on their menu. Since I have a rather large pomelo left from Chinese New Year, I decided to turn it into a zesty Som O – Thai Pomelo Salad.
The flavor profile of Thai Pomelo Salad is prominently sweet, sour and salty. If you follow the ingredients listed below, I seriously don’t think anyone could make a bad Som-O. The key ingredients are tamarind, fish sauce and sugar. Adding coconut cream / milk gives the dressing a silky texture which I adore very much. If you are not able to get your hands on pomelo, feel free to substitute with grapefruit but as the acidity level is higher, you might have to adjust with more sugar if needed.
Ingredients:
4 – 5 segments of pomelo flesh – break into bite size pieces
1 – 2 small shallot – slice thinly (if unavailable, substitute with 1 small red onion)
1 tbsp dried shrimp – toasted in pan and minced finely
2 tbsp roasted peanuts – roughly chopped
1 tbsp dried shredded coconut – toasted in pan (optional)
Coriander leaves – chopped
Fried shallots / garlic
1 tsp chilli powder (omit if you do not want it to be hot)
Dressing:
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 4 tbsp water
1 tbsp roasted chilli paste (nam phrik phao)
1 tbsp white / light brown sugar
2 tbsp coconut cream / milk
Garnish:
Lime wedges
Chopped peanuts
Coriander leaves
The line up.
Peel and put the pomelo flesh into a large mixing bowl. You could leave the flesh in the fridge to chill before using.
Rinse and dry roast the dried shrimps in a pan over low heat for 5 mins until fragrant.
Mince them into fine bits or use a spice grinder to blend it into powder.
If using dried shredded coconut, dry roast them in the pan as well until lightly browned.
In a small bowl, add all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
When you are ready to serve, add the sliced shallots and ¾ of the dressing to the pomelo and toss well.
Sprinkle the rest of the dried ingredients and coriander leaves into the salad and give it a final toss.
Taste and add the rest of the dressing if necessary. Squeeze the lime wedges over the salad, garnish with more chopped peanuts and coriander if you wish.