Yam Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad)

Ingredients

• 150 g glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli), soaked in cold water until pliable, then drained
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 200 g minced pork
• 150 g prawns, poached and sliced
• 30 g dried shrimp, whole
• 2 stalks celery, sliced thin on the bias
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced fine
• 3 stalks spring onion, sliced
• 30 g roasted peanuts, a small amount, left whole or roughly crushed
• For the dressing
• 3 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed; proportion slightly higher than a warm yam
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar, shaved or grated
• 2–4 fresh red or green chillies, sliced fine; adjust to heat preference

Method

1. 1
   Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Add the soaked, drained glass noodles and cook for 2–3 minutes, keeping the water at a rolling boil throughout so the noodles cook evenly rather than sitting and softening unevenly in slack water. They are ready when every strand is fully translucent and tender throughout — no white or opaque centre remains.
2. 2
   Drain the noodles immediately and rinse under cold running water until completely cold, so cooking stops at the moment of perfect texture rather than carrying forward in residual heat. Drain well, then toss with sesame oil to coat each strand lightly so the noodles do not mat together as they sit. Set aside.
3. 3
   Place the minced pork in a small saucepan with a splash of water or stock and a dash of fish sauce, cooking it gently over moderate heat rather than at a fierce sear so it stays moist and fine-grained rather than browning and tightening. Break up any lumps as it cooks until no pink remains, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely before assembling so it does not wilt the vegetables or slacken the dressing on contact.
4. 4
   Make the dressing: dissolve the palm sugar in the lime juice, then stir in the fish sauce and sliced chillies. This is where the dish lives or dies — the dressing must carry a perceptibly sharper acidity than a warm yam, because cold dulls every flavour and only a forward lime presence will register through the cold noodles and proteins. Taste: the dressing should be sour first, salty second, sweet in the finish, with chilli heat arriving last.
5. 5
   In a large bowl, combine the glass noodles, cooled minced pork, sliced poached prawns, dried shrimp, celery, cherry tomatoes, shallots, and spring onion, then pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly so every strand of noodle is coated and carries visible colour from the dressing. Work quickly once the dressing is added so the vegetables stay crisp and the noodles absorb flavour evenly before the tomatoes begin to weep.
6. 6
   Taste for balance and adjust with additional lime juice or fish sauce if needed, then transfer to a serving plate or bowl and scatter the roasted peanuts over the surface — added at the last moment so they hold their crunch against the dressed noodles. Serve at room temperature; the salad is ready when pressing a noodle strand between fingers reveals it is tender but not mushy, and the celery yields a clean, audible snap.