Thai glass noodle salad (Yum Woon Sen) is the perfect summer meal when you want something light but still packed with flavour. It’s made with a spicy, tangy Thai dressing that’s so addictive I could honestly eat this a few times a week. Fresh herbs, glass noodles, and an addictive sauce come together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect when you want something quick, refreshing, and full of flavour.
Table of Contents
- Watch How to Make It
- What is Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)?
- Why I Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for This Dish
- How to Make Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Watch How to Make It
What is Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)?
Yum woon sen is a popular Thai glass noodle salad made with springy glass noodles, fresh herbs, vegetables, and usually some form of protein like minced pork or shrimp.
The dressing is what makes this salad so delicious and addictive, and the flavour profile is everything I love about Thai food: spicy, tangy, savoury, with just a little sweetness to balance it all out. Made with fresh lime juice, fish sauce, garlic and chilli, it’s bright, punchy and super flavourful.
The glass noodles are light and springy, but they soak up all that flavour, making every bite refreshing and satisfying. Honestly, with a sauce this good, I could eat this salad every day. It’s the kind of dish I crave all summer long.
Why I Love This Recipe
● The dressing is so addictive with the perfect balance of spicy, tangy, savoury, and sweet.
● It’s light and refreshing, but still filling enough to be a complete meal.
● It takes less than 30 minutes to make and perfect for hot summer days when you don’t want anything too heavy.
Ingredients for This Dish
Here are a few key ingredients to note. You’ll find the full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card below.
Glass noodles
Glass noodles are the base of this dish. Glass noodles are light, slightly chewy and not filling as other types of noodles, which makes them perfect for salads like this. They’re easy to eat, but still soak up loads of flavour from the dressing.
They’re thin, translucent noodles, usually made from mung bean starch. You can usually find them in most Asian supermarkets in the noodle section, and they’re often labelled as glass noodles, cellophane noodles or vermicelli noodles.
The protein
Minced pork, prawns, and dried shrimp are what make this dish feel like a proper, satisfying meal rather than just a light salad.
The pork brings a savoury base, the prawns add a bit of sweetness and bite, and the dried shrimp adds extra umami flavour. You don’t have to use all three, but together they really take it to another level and make it feel complete.
Substitutes:
- Pork → chicken mince or tofu
- Prawns → more pork or tofu
- Dried shrimp → can be skipped, but you’ll lose some depth and umami
Fresh veggies and herbs
Cherry tomatoes, shallots, and fresh coriander keeps the entire dish bright, juicy, and fresh. They balance out the richness of the protein and dressing and make the salad feel light and refreshing.
Substitutes:
- Coriander → chopped green onions or mint
- Shallots → red onion
- Cherry tomatoes → regular tomatoes, chopped
The dressing
This is the most important part of the entire dish!!!
Lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, bird’s eye chilli, brown sugar, and a little oil come together in that classic Thai flavour profile of spicy, tangy, savoury, and slightly sweet. It’s what makes this salad so addictive.
How to Make Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
1) Make the dressing
Start by preparing the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together fish sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, bird’s eye chilli (add more or less depending on how spicy you like it), lime juice, and neutral oil. Stir well until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
2) Cook the pork
Heat a little oil in a pan over high heat. Add the minced pork and stir-fry until fully cooked. Add half of the sliced shallots, the dried shrimp, and a splash of fish sauce. Stir-fry for another minute until the shallots soften and everything smells fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3) Cook the prawns
In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed and stir-fry the prawns for 1–2 minutes, until just cooked through. Set aside.
4) Prepare the noodles
Cook the glass noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut the noodles in half to make them easier to toss and eat.
5) Bring everything together
In a large mixing bowl, combine the glass noodles, dressing, cooked pork, prawns, coriander, cherry tomatoes, and the remaining raw shallots. Toss everything together until well coated in the sauce.
Serve immediately and enjoy fresh.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It does have a kick from the bird’s eye chilli, but you can easily adjust it. Add more if you like it more spicy, or reduce it for a milder version.
Yes, you can skip one or both. It’s still delicious with just one protein, or you can swap in chicken or tofu.
Yes, they’re usually made from mung bean starch, so they’re naturally gluten-free. Just double-check the packaging to be sure.
Thai Glass Noodle Salad (Yum Woon Sen)
2
servings10
minutes15
minutesYum woon sen is a flavour-packed dish with spicy, tangy dressing, glass noodles, fresh herbs and protein. The perfect light summer meal.
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Ingredients
55 g dried glass noodles
15 g dried shrimp
165 g raw king prawns
160 g minced pork
30 g coriander, chopped
200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 shallots, sliced
- Dressing:
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 –2 bird’s eye chillies (to taste)
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp neutral oil
Directions
- Start by preparing the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together fish sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, bird’s eye chilli (add more or less depending on how spicy you like it), lime juice, and neutral oil. Stir well until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
- Heat a little oil in a pan over high heat. Add the minced pork and stir-fry until fully cooked. Add half of the sliced shallots, the dried shrimp, and a splash of fish sauce. Stir-fry for another minute until the shallots soften and everything smells fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed and stir-fry the prawns for 1–2 minutes, until just cooked through. Set aside.
- Cook the glass noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut the noodles in half to make them easier to toss and eat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the glass noodles, dressing, cooked pork, prawns, coriander, cherry tomatoes, and the remaining raw shallots. Toss everything together until well coated in the sauce.
- Serve immediately and enjoy fresh.
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