YUM YAI SALAD

Yum Yai Salad image

This recipe first came in The Times in a magazine article by Mark Bittman about the Silicon Valley executive-turned-restauranteur Pim Techamuanvivit and Kin Khao, her Thai home-cooking restaurant in San Francisco. This dish is an adaptation of one served there: a combo of raw, steamed and fried vegetables drizzled with a chile-jam dressing laced with fish sauce and lime.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

1/4 cup Nam Prik Pao (chile jam; see recipe)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
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
3/4 cup ice-cold water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 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.

Steps:

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.
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.
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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 400, UnsaturatedFat 27 grams, Carbohydrate 28 grams, Fat 31 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 737 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams