One fascinating aspect of Thai cuisine is the liberal use of its many exotic fruits in its dishes. Mango, coconut, papaya and even banana are some famous examples.

Pomelo is a large conical fruit about the size of a small coconut. It has a firm peel which allows the fruit to be peeled neatly, like a mandarin orange. Quite strangely, it tastes very much like grapefruit except it is much sweeter and will not make one cringe. The segments, which may be a pale yellow or even pinkish, are laid out like those of an orange or grapefruit and are easily removed to be eaten.

Yam Som - O is a pomelo salad. This curious dish comprises segments of juicy and plump pomelo teased into small morsels. It is tossed with sliced raw cabbage, cooked shrimp and sprinkled with fried shallots. The dish is moistened with some spicy sauce. To top off the experience, the salad is generously sprinkled with freshly roasted and crushed peanuts, which impart a fragrance to this dish which is otherwise mildly spicy.

Like many Thai dishes, the pomelo salad offers a hybrid of tastes and sensation. The cabbage imparts a crispness which is interrupted by the soft and juicy segments of pomelo whose unique taste, whether sweetish or mildly sour, colours the entire dish. The varied texture of the shallots and the crunchiness of the roasted, crushed peanuts, add to the eating sensation.

Nick Lie