Yum Kai Dao - a homestyle Thai fried egg salad recipe
A clean and herby salad with a punchy Thai dressing and rich pieces of crispy Thai-fried egg.
Servings: 2 people (as a side)
Ingredients
For the Base Salad
- 250 g Cucumber watery core removed with a teaspoon, then sliced into 4cm-long segments
- 1 Big tomato sliced into 4cm-long segments
- 1 White or red onion sliced into 4cm-long segments
- 1 small handful Celery leaf roughly chopped. Can also use coriander leaf - see
ingredient notes
For the Dressing
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1-2 Limes juiced
- Half tsp White granulated sugar
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 3 Thai birdseye chillies
- Salt to taste
For the Fried Eggs
- 2 Eggs
- Neutral cooking oil suitable for deep frying (e.g. sunflower oil)
Instructions
Salad and Dressing Prep
- Prepare the base salad ingredients and mix in a non-reactive bowl.
- Prepare your dressing. In a pestle and mortar, bash the garlic and chilli into a fine paste (adding the sugar will help by creating friction). Add your remaining dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust until you love it - it should be predominantly sour and sweet with a background saltiness to balance. Remember, it should be powerful at this stage (particularly from the chilli and garlic) as it will be diluted once mixed with the remaining ingredients.
Frying the Eggs (see article for pictures )
- To fry your eggs, fill the bottom of the wok or frying pan with vegetable oil until there is enough to make an egg float. Heat the oil until hot enough to fry (test with a small piece of onion, which should bubble fiercely when dropped in).
- Break an egg into a small dish, then tip into the hot oil and fry for around one minute. Gently spoon oil over the top to help it cook evenly. Turn the egg over and fry for around 30 seconds more, continuing to spoon hot oil over the top. After flipping, the top side of the eggs should be nicely browned and crispy. Once the egg is finished (you are looking for an even golden brown appearance all around), transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
- Repeat until all your eggs are cooked (you can cook 2 eggs simultaneously once you are confident but I’d advise not more than this – the wok will become crowded and the eggs will end up boiling rather than deep frying, which will prevent you from getting a nice crispy texture).
Final Steps
- Once cool enought to handle, slice the eggs into bite-size pieces.
- Before serving, add the dressing to the salad and toss. Give it a final taste and adjust by adding more fish sauce/sugar/lime if necessary. Finally, add your egg pieces and give one final light toss.
- Serve alongside plain white rice or as part of a spread of dishes.