Thai · sauce

Thai All-Purpose Yum Salad Dressing (Nam Yum)

Thai All-Purpose Yum Salad Dressing (Nam Yum) — from Pailin's Kitchen's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 15:18

Video by Pailin's Kitchen on YouTube · Open on YouTube

10 minMakes 6 × 1 tbsp17 kcal a portion
  • Pescatarian
  • Gluten-free ingredients
  • Dairy-free
  • Nut-free

Contains: Fish. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

No oil at all, so a 1-tbsp portion has only about 16 kcal; lime, chilli and garlic do the work, with about 3 g of added sugar. It is salty from the fish sauce, so a little goes a long way.

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Ingredients 6

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Pound the Thai chillies, garlic and coriander stems to a paste in a mortar and pestle. For a milder dressing, scrape out the chilli seeds and pith rather than using fewer chillies. 0:45
  2. Add the chopped palm sugar and keep pounding; the moisture from the chillies helps it dissolve into a paste with no lumps. 1:18
  3. Stir in the fish sauce and lime juice until combined. Taste and adjust the sweet, sour and salty balance to your liking. 1:26
  4. No mortar? Dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and fish sauce, then stir in grated garlic and finely minced chillies and stems. Toss with protein, sturdy crunchy vegetables and herbs rather than delicate leaves. 1:45

Tip. Light brown sugar can replace palm sugar. Keeps up to a week in the fridge, though the lime is brightest fresh. Toss with prawns, grilled meat, eggs or glass noodles, crunchy vegetables and herbs.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion (1 tbsp) gives you 1 of 6

Energy17 kcal70 kJ
Protein0.4 g1% of a day
Fibre0.1 g0% of a day
Carbohydrate4.1 g4 g net · 3.4 g sugars1% of a day
Fat0 g0 g saturated0% of a day
Sodium470 mg21% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 91%
  • Protein 9%
  • Fat 0%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

No vitamin or mineral reaches 10% of a day in one serve.

Show the other 15
Vitamin C4%

3.4 mg a serve, mostly from fresh lime juice (67%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Magnesium3%

11 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (92%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Vitamin B62%

0 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (66%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Potassium1%

30 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (53%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Vitamin K1%

1.7 µg a serve, mostly from coriander stems (90%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Folate1%

4.4 µg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (71%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B121%

0 µg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Calcium0%

5 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (52%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Iron0%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (61%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Zinc0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from fish sauce (42%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin A0%

2.2 µg a serve, mostly from coriander stems (77%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E0%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from red Thai chillies (44%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Selenium0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from garlic (53%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Omega-30%

0 g a serve, mostly from red Thai chillies (82%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

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Recipe and video by Pailin's Kitchen; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.