Noodle Recipe: Yum Kanom Jin

In celebration of gratitude and new beginnings

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Hello gorgeous

Hi everyone! It’s been quite a long week, I hope you’ve all been able to find a little R&R. It feels like time has moved so quickly but so slowly at the same time. I don’t feel like I have anything particularly noteworthy to say about these last few days. I’ve been cultivating my own joy the best way I know how, and that’s through food and cooking for those I love around me.

In the spirit of finding joy, I am really excited to get into the subject of this week’s newsletter! In a few days Thailand will be observing the beautiful holiday of Loy Krathong ลอยกระทง (Festival of Lights). If you haven’t heard of it, Loy Krathong is one of Thailands biggest festivals and it’s an occasion centered around gratitude and new beginnings. The main tradition involves releasing an illuminated floating offering (the ‘krathong’) into the water to honor gods, ancestors, and to make good wishes for the future. I had the amazing opportunity to be able to celebrate in Sattahip with my mom and grandma a few years ago, and having witnessed the beauty of this festival with my own eyes, it is absolutely up there as one of my most cherished life experiences.

Loy Krathong Festival, Krom Luang Chumphon Park

Aside from the incredible lightshow from the krathongs on the water, there’s a beauty pageant, a dancing area, and of course street food. I remember there was an endless sea of food stalls and we definitely did our best to try everything. But there was one dish that I had never experienced before and to this day remains one of my favorite dishes, and that is Yum Kanom Jin ยำขนมจีน. It’s funky, salty, sour…it might be my favorite flavor combination. The textures are varied too, making the mouthfeel experience an entire thing—the soft noodles, crunchy Chinese long beans, silky mackerel. It comes together really quick, and dare I say this might be one of the most perfect noodle dishes.

Beauty pageant at Loy Krathong festival. Traditional Thai dancing is so beautiful :’)

I make this a lot in the summertime because it’s a chilled noodle, but this can be enjoyed whenever you please. Over the years, I’ve made little changes here and there, and the recipe I’m sharing today is what I consider to be my best version of it. I like to add halved cherry tomatoes because I find that they soak up some of the dressing as it sits, and I love the juicy pops of flavor you get. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you because it’s a bit of a hidden gem, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Yum Kanom Jin ยำขนมจีน

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 8oz ice vermicelli noodles

• 4 tbsp fermented fish sauce

• 3 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp palm sugar

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 2 Thai chilis, sliced

• 1 medium shallot, sliced

• 1 bunch culantro, roughly chopped

• 1 cup chopped Chinese long beans or green beans

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1-2 cans tinned mackerel

Method:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the fermented fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar until sugar is dissolved.

• Add chili flakes, Thai chilis, shallot, culantro, Chinese long beans, cherry tomatoes, and mackerel to the dressing and mix.

• Boil the noodles according to package instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.

• Add noodles to the large bowl with dressing, veggies, and mackerel and give everything a good mix. Can be served cold or at room temperature

Notes:

• The spice level in this recipe is on the mild to medium end, if you want it to be more or less spicy just adjust to your liking.

• If you can find whole mackerel and don’t mind the effort of frying and deboning, you’ll get the most flavorful version! But I often go for tinned mackerel to save time.

Thank you for reading and have a delicious week!

xx
Kasey