A Coupla Yam at Yum [Pics]

It is my personal opinion that some of Yum Thai's very best offerings are their salads, or yam. Thai yam are a true marvel of culinary engineering, as they so often showcase the brilliant juxtaposition of fresh and cooked ingredients, which have been dynamically charged by such seasonings as sugar, chile, fish sauce, lime juice, coconut crème, and vinegar. The proper construction of yam requires that the cook have an almost intuitive understanding of the balance of constituent ingredients and their various textures, as well as a hand with the seasoning that is both judicious and light of touch. Below are two such examples at Yum Thai, mũu má-nao, and yam mákhẽua.


mũu má-nao : tender slices of cooked pork loin are combined with fish sauce, lime juice, lettuce, and slices of garlic, fresh chile and lime.



yam mákhẽua : roasted and peeled eggplant is dressed with a mixture of sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce, before being topped with slivered red onion and slices of hard-boiled egg.

One of the most readily apparent distinctions of the yam at Yum Thai is the high-quality fish sauce contained therein. This is the famed taa châng, or "Scales" Brand, which is infrequently employed in restaurant settings in the U.S. due to its relative scarcity and high price. It has a very delicate aroma and a wonderful flavour, which allows for it to slot in so nicely with the other components of a Thai dressing.

Regards,
Erik M.

Yum Thai Restaurant
7748 Madison St.
Forest Park
708.366.8888

Erik M. wrote:One of the most readily apparent distinctions of the yam at Yum Thai is the high-quality fish sauce contained therein. This is the famed taa châng, or "Scales" Brand, which is infrequently employed in restaurant settings in the U.S. due to its relative scarcity and high price. It has a very delicate aroma and a wonderful flavour, which allows for it to slot in so nicely with the other components of a Thai dressing.

Is there any particular reason that the "Tra Chang" fish sauce is scarce?
That particular brand is mentioned (along with Pantainorasingh) as being better quality/taste in some books, and so I looked specifically for them at Thai grocer last week. While Pantainorasingh pastes were available, the fish sauces were "manufactured for Pantainorasingh Co." and no Tra Chang products were available. I was told Tra Chang brand would be in shortly.

sazerac wrote:Is there any particular reason that the "Tra Chang" fish sauce is scarce?That particular brand is mentioned (along with Pantainorasingh) as being better quality/taste in some books, and so I looked specifically for them at Thai grocer last week. While Pantainorasingh pastes were available, the fish sauces were "manufactured for Pantainorasingh Co." and no Tra Chang products were available. I was told Tra Chang brand would be in shortly.

Pantai is a massive corporate entity and as such they are involved in the production, export, and distribution of several product lines.

"Tra Chang" Brand fish sauce is not manufactured, exported, or distributed on the grand scale that a number of other brands are. Hence, its relative "scarcity."

There have been times--months and months on end--when "Tra Chang" Brand fish sauce could not be found anywhere in the Chicagoland area on a consistent basis. Now, I know the family that runs Thai Grocery quite well, and they are exceptionally nice people, but when they told you that it "will be in shortly," I would caution you against holding your breath.

If you are not able to find "Tra Chang" Brand fish sauce at Thailand Food Corporation, further south on Broadway, or at the Cambodian Market, on Kedzie, you should be able to find "AAA Sai Tan" Brand fish sauce, and "Golden Boy" Brand fish sauce. Both of these are more than decent. And, there are always the Tiparos and Squid brands of fish sauce, which are the standard bearers of the Chicagoland Thai restaurant industry.

Me, I have five or so brands in my fridge at any given time. To my mind, they are only interchangeable to a limited degree.

Erik M.

I'm a big fan of yam mákhẽua (and it also has the added advantage of being veggie friendly) so we order it whenever we can. I had some this past weekend at yum and agree that it's a very tasty dish.

Erik, is it still available at TAC, I remember their version with preserved egg and ground pork probably being my favorite around town.

zim wrote:Erik, is it still available at TAC, I remember their version with preserved egg and ground pork probably being my favorite around town.

It is not on the menu any longer. Andy said that it required too much work to assemble each order, with the infrequent orders being what they were. So, sadly, it has gone the way of the puu lon and the náam phrík àwng.

I have arranged to have it made for me, though, and I would bet that he would be willing to similarly accomodate you. A little advance notice should be all that it takes.

Regards,
Erik M.