Laab Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad with Pork)

Course: Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings as a side dish

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Marvellina

A refreshing salad combines minced meat, glass noodles, and an array of fresh herbs and vegetables, creating a dish that is as pleasing to the palate as it is to the eye.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

80 g mungbean thread noodles
200 g ground pork
10 g wood ear mushrooms

Spices and herbs:

1 large shallots thinly sliced
½ cup mint leaves loosely packed
1 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped
2 stalks green onion finely chopped

Dressing:

3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili powder more or less to your taste

Toasted rice:

⅓ cup glutinous rice

Instructions

Soak the wood ear mushrooms:

Put the dried wood ear mushrooms in a large bowl. Add water to cover and let them soak for 15-20 minutes until they are soft. Cut off any hard core. Cut into thin strips

Prepare toasted rice:

Put the rice in a dry pan and toast over medium-low heat until the rice grains turn slightly golden brown. Remove from the heat.
Use a spice grinder to grind into a coarse texture or use a mortar and pestle to grind it. You don't want to grind it into fine powder, a bit coarse is fine for texture

Prepare the noodles:

Soak the noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until they are soft
Drain off the soaking water. Put the noodles in a large mixing bowl. Cut the noodles into short pieces, about 2-3 inches long

Cook the meat:

In a saucepan, add about 3-4 Tbsp of water, you just need a little bit. Bring to a simmer and add the raw ground meat. Breaking the meat pieces with the spatula so you won't end up with large chunks of meat.
Cook until the meat just about to turn color but still mostly pink, add the wood ear mushrooms strips and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink and cooked through
This technique of cooking meat is called "luak" in Thai. This technique involves briefly blanching or parboiling the meat, which helps to cook it quickly and retain its tenderness. It is commonly used in dishes like Laab, where the meat needs to be cooked but not browned or fried, ensuring it remains juicy

Assemble the salad:

Transfer the cooked meat and mushrooms along with its juices into the mixing bowl where the noodles are. Add the sliced shallots, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili powder. Give everything a toss
Add the fresh mints, cilantro leaves, green onion and toasted rice powder. Give everything a final toss again and serve immediately

Storage:

Once assembled, the salad is best consumed on the same day. You can make ahead but keep the fresh herbs, seasoning, noodles and meat separately in their own container and assemble whenever you want to serve it

Nutrition