When I visited Thailand and tried Yam Woon Sen (Thai glass noodle salad), I was blown away by how fresh and flavorful it was. It’s often made with raw onions, but this recipe recreates the authentic taste I had in Thailand without raw onions—for a lighter, cleaner version.
The crisp celery adds a nice crunch, and with shrimp, minced meat, and glass noodles, it’s surprisingly filling. The refreshing dressing with fish sauce and lemon is so delicious, you won’t be able to stop eating it!
Ingredients
| Dried glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli) | 10g |
| Frozen shrimp | 8 |
| Ground chicken (I used chicken breast) | 100g |
| Stalk of celery | 1/2 |
| Cilantro | as much as you like |
| Cherry tomatoes | 5 |
| Lemon | 1/2 |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
| 【For the dressing】 | |
| The Ultimate Vietnamese Dipping Sauce: Easy Homemade Nuoc Cham | 2 servings |
How to Make
1⃣ Prep the ingredients
Soak the glass noodles in hot water according to the package instructions. Drain well.
Thaw the frozen shrimp in water with a little salt.
2⃣ Chop the vegetables
Thinly slice the celery using a vegetable peeler. Roughly chop the cilantro. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the lemon.
(Mince the garlic and red chili for the Nuoc Cham sauce here too.)
3⃣ Cook the shrimp and meat
Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Cook the shrimp and ground chicken separately until fully cooked.
(Tip: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels before cooking for best results.)
4⃣ Make the Nuoc Cham sauce
Note: Although Yam Woon Sen is a Thai dish, I use Vietnamese Nuoc Cham sauce here because the flavor is very similar to Thai salad dressings and it’s easy to make. Feel free to adjust it with more lime or fish sauce to suit your taste!
5⃣ Assemble and serve
In a large bowl or serving dish, combine the noodles, shrimp, chicken, celery, tomatoes, and dressing. Toss everything together.
Top with cilantro and lemon slices to finish
If you have leftover cilantro, roughly chop it and store it in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
You can use it later in stir-fries, Tom Yum soup, or Pho — no waste!
If this recipe looks tasty, feel free to share it on Twitter/X!
And if you try it, tag me — I’d love to see your creations!
