Yum Som-O
Citrus season is in full swing and I am giddy for it. Nothing is quite so pleasing to my senses during the dog days of winter as tearing into the flesh of the vibrantly hued fruits, releasing fragrant, spicy-sweet oil into the dry, brittle air.
Pommelos are less familiar to me than other citrus. I was introduced one January, a few years back, on a visit to Sacramento, where the larger-than-softball sized fruits, along with many other citrus varieties, were lying on sidewalks and gutters, much like acorns do here in the fall. This sight, so foreign to my Mid-Western eyes, made quite an impression. My next meeting occurred during a trip to Thailand last year, when I tried yum som-o, pommelo salad, for the first time. It was one of my favorite culinary experiences of the trip. I decided to try and recreate it last night with the giant yellow orbs that I could no longer resist.
Pommelo
I did some unsatisfactory research online for a recipe. I settled on this one due to it's use of dried shrimp and fried garlic, thinking that it sounded the most authentically Thai of those that I'd found. It was good, but my expectations were high, too high I think, and ultimately this fell short of my Thailand memories. Some changes I might make next time include adding significantly more toasted coconut; using palm, or brown, sugar, and more of it, rather than white sugar; and replacing the salt with fish sauce to add a bit of sourness along with the saltiness.
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