Yam Wun Sen
ยำวุ้นเส้น
Yam Wun Sen is a spicy glass noodle salad combining cellophane noodles with minced pork, prawns, dried shrimp, celery, and a sharp dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, and chilli. Light, refreshing, and intensely flavoured.
Cultural Origin
Yam wun sen is a Central Thai glass-noodle salad whose mung-bean vermicelli (wun sen) came into the Thai pantry through Chinese trade. The yam (Thai salad) format pairs it with minced pork, shrimp, celery, tomato, onion, lime and chili, dressed in fish sauce and lime juice. It is a default home and shophouse dish rather than a regional specialty.
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- glass noodles
- minced pork
- prawns
- dried shrimp
- Chinese celery
- lime juice
- fish sauce
- bird's eye chilli
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
Slippery texture from the glass noodles against the pop of prawns; the dried shrimp and minced pork give it more savoury weight than most yam salads.
How Yam Wun Sen Is Made
- 1
Soak the noodles
Dried glass noodles are soaked in warm water until pliable, then drained — they are not deep-cooked, just softened.
- 2
Cook pork and prawns
Minced pork and prawns are blanched or stir-fried briefly, kept just cooked so the prawns stay firm.
- 3
Mix the dressing
Lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chopped chilli are stirred together separately before touching the noodles.
- 4
Combine while warm
Noodles, pork, prawns, dried shrimp and Chinese celery are tossed with the dressing while everything is still warm so the noodles absorb the flavour.
- 5
Serve promptly
The salad is served immediately, since the noodles continue to soften the longer they sit in the dressing.
When It’s Eaten
Served as a light lunch on its own or as one dish in a shared spread alongside rice-based mains; rarely eaten as a late-night snack the way yam mama is.
How to Order It
- ยำวุ้นเส้นทะเล
- yam wun sen talay
- glass noodle salad with seafood
- ไม่ใส่หมูสับ
- mai sai mu sap
- no minced pork
- เผ็ดน้อย
- phet noi
- mild
What people get wrong
Letting the dish sit before eating — glass noodles keep absorbing the dressing and turn soft and clumped within about twenty minutes of being tossed.
Where to Try It
Common at Thai restaurants and rice-and-curry shops — popular as a light lunch or alongside other dishes.
Tips
- Glass noodles absorb dressing quickly — eat soon after being served or the noodles go soft.
- Pairs well with sticky rice or as part of a shared meal with other dishes.