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Thai

Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Prawn Salad)

A bright Thai glass noodle prawn salad with fish sauce, lime-style dressing, herbs, celery and chiles.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Prawn Salad)

26 mintotal

Prep 18 min · Cook 8 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Spice
Medium
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Twenty minutes. The noodles need only a soak, and the prawns two minutes; everything else is chopping.

Method

  1. Cook the soaked glass noodles in boiling water until just tender, then drain and cut them into shorter lengths if needed.

  2. In the same hot water, cook the prawns until pink and opaque, then drain well.

  3. Mix fish sauce, key lime juice, palm sugar, garlic and bird's eye chiles until the dressing tastes hot, sour and savory.

  4. Toss the warm noodles and prawns with the dressing so they absorb the flavor.

  5. Add celery, shallots, cherry tomatoes, mint leaves and coriander leaves, then toss gently.

  6. Serve immediately while the salad is bright and lightly warm, or rest briefly for room-temperature serving.

How to tell it's done

The glass noodles should be slippery and tender, the prawns just firm, and the herbs fresh.

Getting it right

Tip

Dress the noodles while they are still warm; they absorb the hot-sour dressing better that way.

What to serve it with

Serve as a refreshing salad, light meal or seafood starter.

Common mistakes

The glass noodles clump into a solid mass.
Soak them in hot water rather than boiling them, drain the moment they turn clear, and rinse under cold water. Overcooked bean-thread noodles glue together and nothing separates them again.
The salad tastes flat after a few minutes.
Glass noodles drink the dressing as they sit. Hold back a spoonful and add it just before serving, or dress the salad at the table.

Substitutions

  • Use Shrimp instead of Prawns if that is the local available term.
  • Use Lemon instead of Key Lime Juice only if lime-style juice is unavailable.
  • Use Spring Onion Greens if Celery is unavailable, but the salad will be less classic.
  • Adjust Bird's Eye Chiles to control heat without changing the dressing balance.

Storing and reheating

Best within an hour of dressing. Undressed components keep a day in the fridge separately. Cooked noodles stiffen when cold; loosen them in warm water before dressing rather than adding more liquid to the salad.