Yum Som-O: Thai Pomelo Salad
A bright, textural and refreshing summer saviour
It’s November and pomelos have suddenly invaded produce bins here in Auckland. I’ve never seen so many, nor so many different varieties, at one time here and at very low prices – I picked up a ‘red honey’ pomelo grown in Thailand the other day for three bucks. They’re all imported – from China and Southeast Asia – they do grow here in New Zealand, but not on a commercial level.
One of the largest citrus varieties out there, pomelos clock in at 15-25cm diameter. They have a very thick, spongey rind; the flesh inside ranges from pale yellow to red, and varies from semi-bitter to quite sweet. A pomelo can be a disappointment if the flesh is dry – look for fruit that feel heavy for their size indicating juiciness. Maybe the old watermelon drumming test works on them too? Although does anyone actually know what they’re listening for anyway?
My mind goes straight to savoury when I think pomelo, to yum som-o: a dish I first tasted in Rawai, a laidback fishing village in the south of Phuket famous for the seafood restaurants lining the waterfront. The version I had there featured big juicy prawns as is common, but we have a non-prawn eater in the house so I tossed crisp pork belly through this version – it worked well because the richness and slight sweetness of the pork is countered by the tart dressing and slight bitterness of the pomelo.
READY IN 25 MINS (MAINLY PEELING THE POMELO!)
SERVES 4
Dressing
1 Tbsp palm sugar, soft or finely grated from a block
1½ Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
Red chilli, sliced, to taste ( I used one hot chilli)
Salad
300g pork belly
1-inch piece ginger
2 cups pomelo, torn into bite-size pieces (see note)
¼ cup shredded coconut, toasted
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
2 makrut lime leaves, finely slivered
Bottom half of 1 lemongrass stalk (about 2 inches), very thinly sliced
¼ cup crisp fried shallots
¼ cup mint leaves
¼ cup coriander leaves
Method
In a pot cover pork and ginger with cold water, add 2 tsp salt, and bring water to a boil with lid on. Turn down heat and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes then take off the heat and allow it to sit with lid on for 10 minutes.
Using tongs remove pork belly and rinse with cold water (discard cooking water). Slice thinly across the grain, then either shallow fry in a vegetable oil till crisping at edges, or spray with a little vegetable oil and air-fry for 5 minutes at 200 degrees till crisping at edges. Set aside.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the chiles into a paste. Add palm sugar and continue pounding until fully dissolved.
Stir in fish sauce and lime juice.
Transfer dressing to a mixing bowl. Add all salad ingredients including crisp pork belly and toss to combine. Serve with sticky rice to mop up the juices.
Notes
To peel a pomelo, first score the thick rind from top to bottom in several vertical sections, cutting just through the pith, not the flesh. Use your fingers to pry the rind and thick pith away from the fruit in large chunks. Separate the fruit into segments as best you can – for this salad, you’re tearing up the segments so you needn’t stress about keeping them neat. Gently peel off the membrane from each segment to reveal flesh. Tear the flesh into bite-size pieces.
Adjust dressing to taste: if the fruit is tart or bitter, increase sugar a little.
