Morning Market · Herbed Rice Salad

Khao Yam (Southern Herbed Rice Salad)

Photo: Takeaway / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Vendors keep every ingredient in its own separate pile on the cart — shredded kaffir lime leaf, pomelo, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, toasted coconut — and only combine them the moment you order, so the salad never sits pre-mixed.

Cooked rice is tossed table-side with a dozen or more finely shredded herbs and vegetables — lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, pomelo, bean sprouts, dried shrimp — and finished with a tangy-sweet fish sauce dressing. It's a common quick breakfast or lunch across southern markets, sold from carts stacked with small bowls of each component.

Why it's made this way: The dish reflects the south's produce-heavy, herb-forward cooking style, shaped by the region's proximity to Malay and coastal trading communities distinct from central Thai cuisine.