I love all types of noodle dishes, especially if it’s homemade because homemade everything is simply the best – YEE-HAW! 1
From classic chow mein to pad Thai, pho to spaghetti, ramen to bird’s nest (yes, these are the common ones but they’re also some of my favourites) – I find the long, curly carby strands of noodle simply irresistible.
Whether it’s dry or wet, stir-fried or souped up, I find so much enjoyment in munching and crunching noodles or slurping and burping them up, making horrendous sounds and covering the sides of my mouth with oily sauce or broth as a result. You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?!
There are several delicious noodle dishes in Lao cuisine, from ‘khao piak sen’ (handmade noodle soup) to ‘khua mee’ (stir-fried noodles). Another popular way to enjoy noodles, specifically rice vermicelli noodles, is to incorporate them in a tum som – giving it the title of ‘tum khao poon’ which translates to ‘pounded rice vermicelli noodles’.
My seasoned Lao foodie folks reading this post are probably thinking, ‘Meh! This is such a simple recipe. Nothing interesting here folks. Let’s move right along’.
OK, fair enough. This is a simple (yet classic) Lao dish and you’re right – once you know how to make tum mark hoong, you can pretty much make tum khao poon or any other form of tum som that your heart desires without too much trouble.
But before you leave dear Lao folks/moo 2 (and my non-Lao folks/readers), I’ve included a few extra ingredients in this salad/recipe to give it more colour, character, texture and flavour. Along with green papaya, I’ve also added carrot, Kermit eggplant, crunchy radishes, cherry tomatoes, padaek/fermented fish sauce and a pinch of MSG to taste (which is optional of course!). 3
It is a simple recipe, but this brew/concoction is definitely delicious and addictive, and packs a funky punch! We enjoyed it with beef jerky, cabbage and watercress but you can enjoy it with any of your favourite protein/meats and leafy greens/veg.
There are so many great seasonal veg to try and add to your tum som so don’t be shy to give them a go, and don’t just limit yourself to the more traditional ones. I hope you give this tum khao poon recipe a try. We enjoyed it immensely and I’m pretty certain that you’ll like it too. Sern saab and please visit again. bigsmile
Prep all of the ingredients before you start making the salad. First, either cook the rice vermicelli in boiling waiter in a saucepan until it is soft and tender, or place it it a large bowl and submerge it in boiled water until it is soft and tender. When it is cooked, strain and let cool down completely. Peel half of the green papaya, and then wash it under cold water to remove any excess sap. Shred the peeled half of the papaya with the KOM-KOM miracle knife, or a cleaver/knife. Store the remaining half of the papaya for another dish. Peel and shred the carrot with the KOM-KOM miracle knife. Wash and slice the kermit eggplants. Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Wash the chilies. Peel the garlic cloves. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Quarter the lemon/lime. Peel the garlic cloves, wash the chilies, slice the lemon/lime into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes.
In a Lao/large mortar, add the chilies, garlic cloves, shrimp paste, salt, sugar and MSG (optional).
Carefully pound the ingredients with the pestle to a medium consistency. Be careful so that the ingredients do not splatter into your eyes.
Add the sliced Kermit eggplants and gently pound to mix into the ingredients. Use a spoon to help mix and stir the ingredients together.
Add the shredded papaya and carrot and gently pound to mix into the ingredients.
Add the sliced radish and gently pound and mix into the ingredients.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes and gently pound and mix into the ingredients.
Squeeze in the lemon/lime juice.
Add the fish sauce and padaek/fermented fish sauce. Gently pound and stir/mix the ingredients together.
Taste the salad and adjust the flavour to suit. What you’re aiming for is a delicious savoury/salty/sour/spicy mix of flavours. Flavoursome, intense, punchy and funky!
Then, add the cooled/cooked rice vermicelli, and very gently mix into the ingredients with the pestle and spoon.
That’s it! With a large spoon, carefully and neatly transfer the salad and sauce to a serving bowl or plate.
Note: In case you’re wondering how I got the noodle salad to look so round and neat on the serving bowl, here’s the secret. Once your salad is made, transfer it into a small bowl (big enough to hold all of the salad), preferably one that is tall, for example a mixing bowl. Pack the salad down firmly with a spoon. Then, place the inside of a large serving bowl on top of the small bowl to cover it, and then holding both bowls tightly together, carefully and quickly flip the bowls over so that the small bowl is now on top of the large bowl (similar to how you flip a tarte tatin when serving it). Place the bowls on a flat surface, carefully remove the small bowl on top and voila!! Your salad should appear on your large serving bowl perfectly shaped and round. It looks good and is more enjoyable to eat too! wink I discovered this trick by accident when I was serving and taking photos of the tum mark dang/spicy cucumber salad recipe/post. The first bowl of cucumber salad didn’t look neat enough and then I transferred it to a new bowl and it looked a lot better. This method can be used to present/serve other tum som dishes too. Enjoy your meal!
Serve with cooked meat and fresh leafy vegetables of your choice. Sern saab!!smile
Note: I thought that this might have been the hero shot out of the plethora of photos that I took/uploaded, and then I noticed the single rogue chili/eggplant seed on the bottom right rim of the spotty serving bowl closest to us. Argh!!! Lol.
- 100 grams of rice vermicelli (boiled)
- 1 green papaya/pawpaw (you only need half for this recipe)
- 1 carrot
- 10 hot chilies (or as many as you like)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 8 Kermit eggplants
- 8 radishes
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 lemon or lime
- 1 TBS of fish sauce
- 1 TBS of padaek/fermented fish sauce
- 1 tsp of shrimp paste
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 tsp of MSG (optional)
- Prep all of the ingredients before you start making the salad.
- First, either cook the rice vermicelli in boiling waiter in a saucepan until it is soft and tender, or place it it a large bowl and submerge it in boiled water until it is soft and tender. When it is cooked, strain and let cool down completely.
- Peel half of the green papaya, and then wash it under cold water to remove any excess sap. Shred the peeled half of the papaya with the KOM-KOM miracle knife, or a cleaver/knife. Store the remaining half of the papaya for another dish. Peel and shred the carrot with the KOM-KOM miracle knife.
- Wash and slice the Kermit eggplants. Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Wash the chilies. Peel the garlic cloves. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Quarter the lemon/lime.
- Peel the garlic cloves, wash the chilies, slice the lemon/lime into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes.
- In a Lao/large mortar, add the chilies, garlic cloves, shrimp paste, salt, sugar and MSG (optional). Carefully pound the ingredients with the pestle to a medium consistency. Be careful so that the ingredients do not splatter into your eyes.
- Add the sliced Kermit eggplants and gently pound to mix into the ingredients. Use a spoon to help mix and stir the ingredients together. Add the shredded papaya and carrot and gently pound to mix into the ingredients. Add the sliced radish and gently pound and mix into the ingredients. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and gently pound and mix into the ingredients. Squeeze in the lemon/lime juice. Add the fish sauce and padaek/fermented fish sauce. Gently pound and stir/mix the ingredients together.
- Taste the salad and adjust the flavour to suit. What you're aiming for is a delicious savoury/salty/sour/spicy mix of flavours. Flavoursome, intense, punchy and funky!
- Then, add the cooled/cooked rice vermicelli, and very gently mix into the ingredients with the pestle and spoon.
- That's it! With a large spoon, carefully and neatly transfer the salad and sauce to a serving bowl or plate. Serve with cooked meat and fresh leafy vegetables of your choice. Sern saab!!smile
Notes:
- The photo of the rodeo cowboy in this post is of ‘Canadian equestrian Pete Knight riding Silver King at the 1935 Calgary Stampede. Knight was the Rodeo Association of America’s World Champion Bronc Rider for 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936’. Source: Original publication: 1935 Calgary Stampede. Author: “Oliver” (first name unknown), (Life time: unknown). It was obtained from Wikipedia. Permission: Photographs created in Canada before 1949 are all in the public domain. ↩
- ‘Moo’ is Lao for ‘friend’.smile ↩
- The Muppet character, Kermit the Frog. Source: Disney.com. It was obtained from Wikipedia. © Disney. ↩
I think this recipe is looking like my dinner tonight! Looks so yum. I agree that there is nothing more satisfying than a noodle dish (I use the same noodles in mine). PS Love the Kermit pic lol!
Hi Jem,
Thanks for your comment, and I’m glad you like the look of the vermicelli salad. It’s a keeper and one of our favourite ways to enjoy tum som because it combines the traditional ingredients and flavours of tum som with the tasty/fun noodle strands. I do hope you give it a try tonight and use/add veg ingredients that you like. Beans/snake beans and radish are great in it. This brand/type of noodle is very good and only a fraction is needed for the recipe. It’s thin and long but the thicker round vermicelli are also ideal. Just make sure you boil/cook or soak it in hot water and that the noodles are soft (but not soggy/fall apart easily) to eat. The new Muppets movie is very funny. There’s a mole in it. Thanks Jem. Best wishes! :)
Wow Padaek, this sounds mighty delicious… an explosion of flavours!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, this is a very tasty rendition of the classic Lao tum som. It’s pungent, spicy, umami rich and a joy to eat! Great as a salad or a slaw type component in sandwiches and rolls. Best wishes. :)
Now, that looks really appetising, Padaek! After showing the pounding of all the fresh ingredients, this is mouth-watering!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your comment. Glad you like the photos of the salad. A truly tasty salad and the colourful fresh ingredients, sauces and process can really work up an appetite. Very easy to make too and a joy to eat. Thanks Julie. Best wishes! :)
I am sure that this tastes as good as it looks, if not better!
Hi Tandy,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, it’s a smorgasboard of intense flavours, and the colourful ingredients make it a lot of fun to eat too. Best wishes! :D
Yum! I could practically smell and taste this through your vivid pics. Also intrigued by Kermit eggplants now!kermit
lol so obsessed I wrote Kermit twice. Haha!
Hi Helen,
Thanks for your visit and lovely comments. Tum som is such a great salad and really appetizing with all of its fresh ingredients, sauces and spices, etc. Lol, Kermit eggplants are also known as Thai eggplants. Often available in Thai/Lao/Asian green grocers. They usually have a lot of seeds and are crunchy. Great raw on a side salad plate or cooked or sliced in a salad like above. Cute name too. Kermit! :D
Beautifully presented and so delicious looking!
Hi Emma,
Thanks for your comment. It’s a moreish dish and the colourful ingredients make it easy to present beautifully. Best wishes. :)
Gosh! Looks delish! Now I want some! I haven’t had any in forever, since I’ve been trying to eat all the Thum Mak Tor I can before the season ends for long beans. I can just taste this with some pork rinds, mhmm…
Hi Diana,
Thanks for your comment. Glad you like it! I’m a huge tum som fan and thum mak tor is one of my favourites also. My mum makes a fantastic one with homemade padaek sauce. It would taste great with cooked rice vermicelli in it too I think. Love long/snake beans; they’re super crunchy and soak up the sauce very well. Yep, kiep moo goes perfectly with this salad. Yum. Now you’re making me hungry! :)
I love vermicelli noodles especially in gooey soups, but these khua-mee are super yummy with tons of yummy veggies! I love the step by step photos – they are extremely helpful! What a lovely combination together – papaya salad and vermicelli, this looks absolutely delicious – I like noodles in anything else! Have a great weekend! :)
Hi Rika,
Thanks for your comment. I loove vermicelli noodles in soup too. The Lao laksa/version is called khao poon (which is also the same word for just vermicelli). It’s coconut rich and creamy, spicy and delicious. This is a great salad if you like spicy food. It’s full of fresh veg, noodle and spices. Very addictive too. It’s a great dish that pairs well with most types of protein/tofu and fresh accompanying veg, and a bevvy. There’s got to be a bevvy or two. Have a great weekend too! :D