Khao Yam

Khao yam is a southern Thai rice salad with finely cut herbs, vegetables and a sweet-salty dressing. Pailin Chongchitnant notes that the rice may remain white or be coloured blue with butterfly pea flowers; her alternative uses red cabbage water.^[1]

Her dressing simmers shallot, garlic, lemongrass and ginger or galangal with fish sauce, fermented shrimp paste, palm sugar, tamarind and makrut lime leaves. Her fish sauce and shrimp paste replace the southern fermented fish sauce nam budu. Toasted ground dried shrimp, toasted coconut, pomelo and crunchy vegetables surround the rice. The components are tossed with dressing and lime; chilli flakes are optional.^[1]