Yam is the family of Thai warm salads — preparations that combine a briefly cooked protein (squid, seafood, grilled meat, fried shallots, roasted peanuts) with a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and fresh chillies, mixed with fresh herbs and often with crispy elements for textural contrast. Yam is distinct from som tam and larb in that it is assembled rather than pounded, and its dressing is applied to already-cooked or pre-prepared components rather than built in the mortar. Yam's character comes from the contrast between the warm, briefly cooked protein and the bright, cold, acid dressing — the contrast of temperatures is as important as the contrast of flavours.
**Yam dressing (nam yam):** - Lime juice: the primary acid — generous. - Fish sauce: the primary salt. - Palm sugar: moderate — yam tilts more toward sour than sweet. - Fresh bird's eye chillies: sliced, seeds retained. - Roasted garlic (2 cloves, charred in a dry pan or directly on the gas flame): pounded briefly in a mortar before adding to the dressing. The charred garlic adds a smoky, complex note that raw garlic does not provide. - Roasted shallots: 2–3 red shallots charred in the same way as the garlic. **The protein preparation (yam pla muek — squid):** - Squid: cleaned (Entry 55 Pépin cross-reference for technique, adapted for Asian species), scored on the inside surface in a fine cross-hatch pattern (so the rings curl when heated), cut into 4cm pieces. - Blanch the scored squid in boiling water for 60–90 seconds — not more. The squid curls and turns opaque. It is not fully cooked through — it should still have the very slightest translucency at the thickest point (it will continue cooking in the dressing's residual heat). - Remove immediately to the dressing while still hot — the heat of the squid slightly warms the dressing and releases the fresh chilli's aromatic compounds into the lime juice. **The assembly:** 1. Mix the dressing ingredients. 2. Add the hot squid immediately. 3. Toss with the herbs (fresh mint, coriander, spring onion, lemongrass — the fine inner slices of young lemongrass are edible in a yam). 4. Taste and balance. 5. Add any textural elements (roasted peanuts, crispy shallots, roasted rice if desired). 6. Serve immediately — yam is a warm salad, not a cold one. Decisive moment: Adding the hot squid to the dressing immediately upon removal from the blanching water. The heat of the squid is part of the preparation's character — it is not a room-temperature or cold salad. The warm squid warms the dressing slightly, activating the aromatic compounds of the fresh chilli and releasing the lime's oils more effectively than a cold combination would.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)