Thai Pig Ear Salad - Yam Hu Mu ยำหูหมู

They say all phenomena in life comprise two opposing yet complementary forces. Though the two forces constantly fluctuate, both are present at all times. Yin vs. yang. Darkness vs. light. Goodness vs. evil. No wonder after a rare display of a well-concealed side of me, my whole being is straining and striving to restore the equilibrium by making something that doesn't drip with cuteness. I just had to. It's a matter of survival.

Hence the pig ears.

I love pig ears (♪ and I cannot lie ♫ ...). With every bite you get the chewy and gelatinous flesh and the crunchy and chewable cartilage (also known as joy personified). Also, despite the rich mouthfeel (due to the collagen), pig ears are very, very lean. Perfect protein source, if you ask me.

People prepare pig ears in different ways. Some deep-fry them; some red-braise them Chinese style. My favorite way to prepare pig ears is to turn them into a spicy Thai yam* (ยำ - rhymes with "some") or, to be more precise, Yam Hu Mu or Yam Hoo Moo (ยำหูหมู ). Although no official Thai polls have been conducted as far as I know, I'm willing to bet that this will make the top five favorite "drinking foods."

I have posted about the standard way to make yam before here, so I won't repeat it. The only procedure specific to this particular yam is the preparation of the pig ears.


Pig ears straight from the meat department are tough and very chewy. You need to tenderize them through a long, slow simmer. All you have to do is put them in a pot, add water just enough to cover them, season the water with some salt (or whatever fragrance or flavor you want the pig ears to take on), bring it all to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, and let it go for about an hour or an hour and a half, depending on the size and number of the ears. Some people cook them longer, but I prefer the texture achieved at the 1- to 1.5-hour mark.


Then you drain them, pat them dry, and slice them into thin strips. Your pig ears are now ready to be turned into a delicious Thai yam. As long as you have the fish sauce (no substitute), lime juice (no substitute), and onions, you can achieve the bare-bone version of a yam.

But here are a few notes:

You can go with fresh (thinly sliced or pounded) bird's eye chillies or dried red chillis for a smoky flavor.

Many versions of yam hu mu which I have seen have fresh tomatoes, cut into thin wedges, in them. Fresh, raw tomatoes aren't one of my favorite foods so when they're optional, as is the case here, I just omit them.

Try adding slices of Vidalia or other sweet onions to this yam (2 parts pig ear strips: 1 part sweet onion slices). It's heavenly.

Cucumber slices are optional.

Lime juice and fish sauce, on the other hand, are not optional. No lemon juice. No soy sauce. (If you like the taste of soy sauce in this dish, season the water in which you cook the pig ears with some soy sauce, but do not use soy sauce as a seasoning Thai yams.)

Suggested fresh herbs include cilantro, mint, and culantro. No dried herbs.

Although the yam, once assembled, should never be refrigerated and reheated, the prepared pig ear strips can be frozen for future use.

By the way, this yam, like most Thai yams, is supposed to be served at room temperature or very slightly warm.