Thai salads are an essential part of traditional Thai meals. Unlike Western salads, which are often served before the main course, Thai salads are typically served and enjoyed alongside other dishes. In this post, we’ll discuss different types of Thai salads and what makes them so famous. We’ll also discuss the innovative Thai salads at Prod., our fine-dining Thai restaurant in Pattaya.
Salads in a Traditional Thai Meal
Thai salads provide a crisp, refreshing contrast to richer dishes such as curries and fried foods. Their acidity and freshness help cleanse the palate and make the accompanying dishes taste even better. Thai salads often combine colors, textures, and flavors, such as sour, spicy, sweet, and salty. They feature a mix of raw vegetables, herbs, and sometimes fruit, which provide a textural contrast to soft or chewy main dishes like grilled meats or noodles.
The ingredients commonly used in Thai salads, such as raw papaya and mango, and herbs like mint and cilantro, also aid digestion, making it easier to digest the more substantial dishes to come. Thai salads are often served in communal bowls, encouraging diners to share and interact with each other as they enjoy the meal.
Types of Thai Salads
Here are the main types of salad that form the basis of many traditional recipes:
Yum is typically a spicy and sour salad made with meat, seafood, or noodles, seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, and chili peppers.
Larb is a spicy salad from the Northeastern region of Thailand, made from minced meat, fish, or mushrooms, seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, toasted ground rice, and fresh herbs.
Tum is best defined by the famous Thai salad, Som Tum (green papaya salad). These are pounded or smashed salads that combine sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors.
Pla are fish-based salads often featuring a mixture of cooked and raw ingredients dressed in lime juice and fish sauce.
Popular Traditional Thai Salad Dishes
The variety of Thai salads is broad, but here are some of the most famous and beloved dishes to try:
Som Tam (Green Papaya Salad): Perhaps the most famous Thai salad, Som Tam is a spicy salad made from shredded green papaya mixed with tomatoes, carrots, peanuts, dried shrimp, runner beans, palm sugar, tamarind pulp, fish sauce, lime juice, and plenty of chilies. This refreshing dish is often customized to your spice level preference.
Larb Ped Yang (Spicy Duck Salad): This Northeastern Thai salad features minced duck with lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes, and roasted rice powder, offering a crunchy, zesty, and spicy flavor profile.
Pla Goong (Spicy Shrimp Salad): A bright and citrusy dish, Pla Goong includes shrimp mixed with lemongrass, mint leaves, and a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, and chili peppers.
Yum Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad): A light yet spicy salad made with glass noodles, mixed seafood or minced pork, onions, and celery, and a tangy dressing.
Yam Khai Dao (Fried Egg Salad): A tossed salad with crispy fried eggs, onions, tomatoes, and a tangy dressing.
Pla Samun Prai (Herbal Fish Salad): This includes deep-fried fish mixed with a variety of Thai herbs and spices, dressed with a light and spicy sauce.
Must-Try Salads at Prod.
At Prod., we offer our modern take on traditional Thai salads, focusing on sustainability and local ingredients. Our salads are a celebration of modern Thai cuisine, highlighted by our use of traditional and innovative cooking techniques and locally sourced produce from our partner fishermen and farmers.
Try our best-selling Spicy Shrimp Salad with Thai Herbs and Cha Ploo Leaf in a Crispy Bowl. This aromatic dish Pleashowcases the flavors and textures of the spicy shrimp and Thai herbs, served in an edible bowl.
Other must-try salads include our Fish Roe and Herb Spicy Salad with Crispy Rice Paper Seaweed, a vibrant mix of salty fish roe, fresh herbs, and a touch of heat, all nestled in a bed of crisp greens and crowned with addictively crunchy rice paper seaweed shards. Our Tum Seafood with Crispy Egg Noodles is a fresh take on the classic pounded salad featuring seafood and served with crispy noodles for added crunch.
Prod.’s Sustainable Philosophy
As Pattaya’s first Thai fine-dining seafood restaurant, Prod. offers a gourmet experience. Our innovative dishes and salads provide a fresh take on our Thai culinary heritage, showcasing bold and tasty combinations of flavors and textures. The creativity we put into our dishes goes hand in hand with our sustainable philosophy and commitment to quality. We partner with local farmers and fishermen to ensure the freshest and highest-quality ingredients that are sustainably harvested. In this way, we support the local economy and reduce our carbon footprint.
Prod. also uses sustainable techniques to minimize waste in our kitchen, such as our Fin-to-Scale approach, which uses every part of the fish from head to tail to create inventive dishes. With our passion for presenting the best of Thai cuisine using fresh, high-quality ingredients, unique flavors, and excellent service, diners can expect a memorable meal. Book a meal at Prod. to explore our menu of Thai salads.
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