Thai Pomelo Salad (Yum Som-O) - perfectly spicy sweet and sour taste!

In recent years, Hong Kong's weather has become increasingly similar to Thailand's. Starting from spring, the weather is not only unusually hot but also extremely humid, and even winter is not very cold. During the scorching summer days, it's best to enjoy some refreshing salads. The Thai Pomelo Salad I made this time is perfect for quenching thirst and will definitely whet your appetite.

Thai pomelo salad enjoys widespread popularity in Thailand, not only because of its simple preparation but also because it perfectly combines sweet, sour, and spicy flavours, offering diners a rich taste experience. Pomelo is a common and beloved fruit in Thailand, known for its refreshing and crisp texture as well as its unique fragrance, making it an essential ingredient in Thai salads.

The pomelo is relatively large in size, with a green outer skin. When ripe, it is fragrant, sweet, juicy, and has distinct segments of flesh.

The Difference Between Pomelo and Yuzu

“Luk Yau” (Pomelo), also known as Shatian Pomelo, is a large citrus fruit with green skin (sometimes slightly yellow). When fully ripe, it is sweet, juicy, and has well-defined segments, making it ideal for salads. On the other hand, “Yuzu” is a Japanese variety of citrus fruit, much smaller in size with yellow skin. Yuzu has a flavour reminiscent of lemon and is rarely eaten as a fruit but is commonly used to make salad dressings, yuzu vinegar, and yuzu sake.

The preparation of this salad is simple and straightforward. First, peel the fresh pomelo and extract the juicy segments. Next, prepare a bowl and mix tamarind paste, coconut milk, palm sugar, lime juice, and chilli to create a sauce with rich layers of flavor. This sauce, combining sweet, sour, and spicy notes, not only enhances the taste of the salad but also makes it more appetising. Drizzle the prepared sauce over the pomelo segments and gently toss to complete this Thai-style pomelo salad.

Ingredients

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Basic Ingredients

Pomelo	1 Each
Spring Onion	1 sprig
Shallot	2 each
Dried Shrimps	2 tbsp
Fried Peanuts	1 tbsp
Fried Shallots	1 tbsp
Desiccated coconut (toasted)	1 tbsp
Tamarind Sauce	1 tbsp
Warm Water	1 tbsp

Dressing

Lime	2 each
Garlic	3 cloves
Bird's Eye Chilli	1 each
Palm sugar / Granulated sugar	30g
Coconut Cream	2 tbsp
Fish Sauce	1 tbsp

Steps

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1. Peel the pomelo and separate the flesh, but not to break the segments too much.

2. Wash and finely chop the green onions; slice the shallots.

3. Use a blender to combine garlic, bird's eye chilli, fish sauce, coconut milk, palm sugar, and freshly squeezed lime juice, and blend until it becomes a Thai-style sweet and spicy dressing.

4. Take a large bowl, add the pomelo flesh, chopped scallions, and red shallots, then pour in the freshly prepared Thai spicy and sour dressing.

5. Mix 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste with hot water, stir well, and then pour it into the pomelo flesh. Use tongs to mix the pomelo flesh with all the sauce thoroughly.

6. Finally, add the fried peanuts, Thai dried shrimp, fried shallots, and desiccated coconut, and mix well. For enhanced flavour, consider refrigerating it for 1-2 hours before serving!