Yum Yai Salad

This combo of raw, steamed and fried vegetables is a crunchy canvas for chile-jam dressing laced with fish sauce and lime.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Nam Prik Pao (chile jam; see recipe)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped palm sugar
• A pinch of chopped bird’s-eye chile (if you like it spicy)
• 1 medium English cucumber, peeled
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• ¾ cup ice-cold water
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 ½ loosely packed cups small whole green leaves, like baby kale, shiso leaves, pea shoots or arugula
• 3 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 6 ounces blanched green beans or wax beans
• 2 cups any mixed greens or torn lettuce leaves.

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    449 calories; 34 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 46 milligrams cholesterol; 39 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 servings.

Preparation

1. Whisk together the Nam Prik Pao, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chopped chile if you’re using it; set aside. Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber and carrots into long ribbons; set them aside.
2. Put the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. While it heats, lightly whisk together the ice water, flour and egg yolk in a medium bowl; the batter should be lumpy and quite thin. When the oil is ready for frying, start dipping the whole leaves (one at a time) into the batter to coat, and carefully add them to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan; fingers or chopsticks are the best tools for the job. Fry the leaves in batches, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, just a few minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to paper towels to drain; repeat the process until you have fried all of the leaves.
3. To assemble the salad, start layering the ingredients in a large shallow bowl or onto a platter. The beans are best on the bottom because they’re the heaviest, and the tempura leaves should go mostly on top so they remain crisp; otherwise, the order is up to you. Drizzle each layer with some of the dressing as you go; serve immediately.

30 minutes