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Home ยป Recipes ยป Salads

4th July 2023 by Jamie Raftery Leave a Comment

Khao Yum {Thai Rainbow Salad}

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We are excited to present our Vegan Khao Yum recipe, a vibrant, nourishing, and delicious dish. In this plant-based rendition, we showcase aromatic blue rice, an assortment of fresh vegetables, and a tangy Budu dressing. This magnificent Southern Thai Rainbow Rice Salad is a visual masterpiece that also offers a wholesome and fulfilling culinary experience, combining the finest elements of Thai cuisine.

vegan-khao-yum-salad-sered-in-a-bowl

History of the khai yum 

Khao Yum is a popular dish from Southern Thailand, known for its diverse range of flavors and textures.

Legend has it that Khao yam was born out of a request by the ruler of a southern Thai region, who sought a concoction that would blend all the nutritious elements available at that time onto a single plate.

A skilled doctor took up the challenge and crafted what we now know as the rice salad. Central to this creation was the inclusion of Indian mulberry, a tree often found near the residences of esteemed individuals in the community.

While some claim Khao yam's origins lie in the Malay culinary tradition, owing to the historical connection between Thailand's southernmost provinces (Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala) and the former Sultanate of Pattani, which encompassed present-day Kelantan in Northeastern Malaysia.

Recreating Khao yam can prove daunting due to its astonishing variety of ingredients, many of which are unique to the region. Nonetheless, Thai cooks assert that like numerous other Thai dishes, Khao yam's essence lies in its adaptability.

It can be prepared with whatever fresh ingredients are available, as long as they complement its tangy, savory, and herbal character.

See what The Michelin Guide says about Khao Yum Salad

Khao-Yum-Ingredients-with-text

Ingredients you will need for khao yum 

Blue Rice

  • Jasmine Rice 
  • Butterfly pea flowers 
  • Water (for soaking Butterfly Peas and cooking rice) 

Budu Dressing

  • Vegan Anchovy Sauce or Soy Sauce 
  • Fermented Soy Bean Paste or Miso Paste 
  • Crushed Lemongrass (cut into large chunks) 
  • Shallots 
  • Galangal (cut into large chunks) 
  • Tamarind Juice 
  • Coconut Palm Sugar 
  • Water 
  • Kaffir Lime Leaves 
  • Lime Juice 

Khao Yum

  • Cooked Rice (from the above ingredients) 
  • Pomelo 
  • Edible Flowers 
  • Betel Leaves (sliced) 
  • Lotus Flowers 
  • Mung Beans 
  • Carrot 
  • Mango 
  • Green Beans 
  • Roasted Coconut Flakes 
  • Black Sesame Seeds 
  • White Sesame Seeds 
  • Kaffir Lime Leaves
  • Purple Cabbage 
  • Chili Flakes 
thai-vegan-khao-yum-dish

Equipment you will need

  • Pot for cooking rice 
  • Small saucepan 
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Mixing bowl and whisk
  • Chopping board, peeler, and a good chef's knife
  • Large plate for plating the salad 
thai-rainbow-salad-in-a-bowl

How to make vegan khao yum

Blue Rice

  • Soak butterfly pea flowers in the measured water and leave for 10 minutes so the color leaks out from the flowers.
  • Wash and rinse jasmine rice, cook with butterfly pea flowers, and set aside.

Budu Dressing

  • Mix soybean paste, vegan anchovy paste, and water very well
  • Add to the pot on low heat and cook until boil.
  • When the sauce started to boil add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, and shallots.
  • Simmer for 5-8 minutes.
  • Flavor with coconut palm sugar, tamarind juice, and lime.
  • Adjust the flavor to your preference, make sure it is salty, sweet, and sour. The sauce should taste strong,
  • When the sauce is ready, drain the sauce and set aside.

Khao Yum

  • Wash and dry all vegetables.
  • Julienne green mango and carrot.
  • Finely sliced purple cabbage, betel leaves, and kaffir lime leaves.
  • Blanch Pakria in salt water to reduce the bitterness.
  • Tear pomelo into small pieces.
  • Tear lotus flowers and wash the lotus petals and dry them immediately.
  • Dice green beans into small bites.
  • Toast black and white sesame seeds and then grind them in the mortar and pestle.
  • Toasted cashew nuts until golden brown.
  • Plate up the rice, vegetables, herbs, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes onto a large plate.
  • Pour the sauce into a small bowl and serve on the side.
thai-vegan-rainbow-khao-yum-salad

What to serve with khao yum

Vegan Khao Yum is a complete meal, bursting with flavors and textures. However, you can complement it with some other Thai vegan dishes such as Tom Kha Soup, Pomelo Salad, or Green Papaya Salad for a truly authentic and satisfying Thai feast. 

vegan-khao-yum-served-in-a-bowl

More Thai vegan recipes to try

  • Thai Green Curry 
  • Thai Red Curry
  • Vegan Crab Curry
  • Vegan Tom Yum Coconut Soup
  • Vegan Tom Yum Mushroom Soup
  • Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
  • Som Tum Salad
  • Pomelo Salad
thai-vegan-khao-yum-salad

If you decide to give this recipe a try, we'd be thrilled to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Your recreations bring us great joy, and we can't wait to see your culinary adventures. Happy cooking friends!

๐Ÿ“‹ Recipe

vegan-khao-yum-salad-sered-in-a-bowl
Jamie Raftery

Khao Yum {Thai Rainbow Salad}

5 from 1 vote
Khao yum is a classic Southern Thai salad full of colorful and nourishing ingredients
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to CollectionGo to Collections
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Thai
Calories: 700
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition

Ingredients
 
 

Blue Rice
  • 600 g Jasmine Rice
  • 10 g Butterfly pea flowers
  • 700 g Water For soak Butterfly Peas and cook rice
Budu Dressing
  • 80 g Water - filtered
  • 50 g Vegan anchovy sauce or soy sauce
  • 50 g Coconut palm sugar
  • 30 g Soybean paste or miso paste
  • 30 g Shallots
  • 20 g Lemongrass cut into big chunks
  • 20 g Galangal Cut into big chunks
  • 40 g Tamarind juice
  • 5 g Kaffir lime leaves
  • 20 ml Lime juice
Khao Yum Salad
  • 400 g Butterfly pea flower rice cooked
  • 120 g Green beans blanch and finely dice
  • 120 g Pomelo peel and tear into small chunks
  • 80 g Cashew toasted
  • 80 g Mung beans washed
  • 60 g Purple cabbage washed and finely sliced
  • 60 g Carrots julienned
  • 60 g Mango julienned
  • 20 g Coconut desiccated roasted
  • 10 g Black sesame seeds toast and grind
  • 10 g White sesame seeds toast and grind
  • 20 g Betel leaves sliced
  • 15 g Lotus flowers sliced
  • 5 g Edible flowers
  • 2 g Kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
  • 2 g Chili flakes

Equipment

  • Weighing scales
  • Chopping board
  • Peeler
  • Chefs knife
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Serving bowl

Method
 

Blue Rice
  1. Soak butterfly pea flowers in the measured water and leave for 10 minutes so the color leaks out from the flowers.
  2. Wash and rinse jasmine rice, cook with butterfly pea flowers, and set aside.
Budu Dressing
  1. Mix soybean paste, vegan anchovy paste, and water very well
  2. Add to the pot on low heat and cook until boil.
  3. When the sauce started to boil add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime and shallots.
  4. Simmer for 5-8 minutes.
  5. Flavor with coconut palm sugar, tamarind juice and lime.
  6. Adjust the flavor to your preference, make sure it is salty, sweet, and sour. The sauce should taste strong,
  7. When the sauce is ready, drain the sauce and set aside.
Khao Yum
  1. Wash and dry all vegetables.
  2. Julienne green mango and carrot.
  3. Finely sliced purple cabbage, betel leaves, and kaffir lime leaves.
  4. Blanch Pakria in salt water to reduce the bitterness.
  5. Tear pomelo into small pieces.
  6. Tear lotus flowers and wash the lotus petals and dry it immediately.
  7. Dice green beans into small bites.
  8. Toast black and white sesame seeds and then grind them in the mortar and pestle.
  9. Toasted cashew nuts until golden brown.
  10. Plate up the rice, vegetables, herbs, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes onto a large plate.
  11. Pour the sauce into a small bowl and serve on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 300gCalories: 700kcalCarbohydrates: 121gProtein: 20gFat: 16gSodium: 801mgPotassium: 899mgFiber: 9gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 3251IUVitamin B1: 0.4mgVitamin B2: 0.2mgVitamin B3: 3mgVitamin B5: 2mgVitamin B6: 1mgVitamin B12: 0.01ยตgVitamin C: 42mgVitamin E: 1mgVitamin K: 33ยตgCalcium: 170mgCopper: 1mgFolate: 179ยตgIron: 6mgManganese: 3mgMagnesium: 206mgPhosphorus: 417mgSelenium: 28ยตgZinc: 4mg

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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Hi, weโ€™re Thara & Jamie

Weโ€™re a Thaiโ€™rish chef duo based between our jungle kitchen studio in Phuket, Thailand, and a new culinary studio and permaculture farm weโ€™re developing in Galway, Ireland.

Together, we run the Holistic Chef Academy - a space for exploring healthy, wholesome, plant-based cuisine.

With our roots in Michelin-star kitchens and a shared passion for food as medicine - we create recipes, courses, and experiences that aim to educate, inspire, and empower.

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