🥔 SIDE
Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns)
Juicy pomelo pulled into bite-sized pieces and tossed with poached prawns, pounded dried shrimp, mint and shallots in a sweet, sour, salty and hot lime dressing, topped with toasted coconut and peanuts.
Cambodian (Khmer) · easy · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 5 min
~169 cal · 24g protein · 11g carbs · 4g fat · 2g fiber · 5g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Nhoam is the Khmer word for a salad, and krauch thlong is the pomelo, the big, thick-skinned citrus that grows all over Cambodia. Pomelo salad is one of the country's best-loved salads, served alongside rice and other dishes at lunch or as part of a larger meal, and it appeared in The Taste of Angkor, the cookbook Cambodia's foreign ministry produced to present Khmer food abroad.
The pomelo is peeled right down to its sacs, which are pulled apart into juicy pieces that burst in the mouth. They are tossed with poached prawns, pounded dried shrimp, fresh herbs such as mint and Khmer basil, sliced shallots and fried garlic, and dressed with the Khmer balance of lime juice, , palm sugar, garlic and chilli. Some versions use slices of boiled pork belly in place of, or as well as, the prawns.
It is finished with toasted coconut and crushed roasted peanuts, and dressed at the last minute so it stays fresh and crisp.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 2 tbsp dried shrimp
- 300 g (about 12) raw medium-large prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 (about 600 g of segments) large pomelo
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
- 1/4 cup Thai or Khmer basil leaves
- 2 tbsp fried garlic slices
- 1 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp palm sugar, grated
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp coconut, toasted golden
Instructions
- 1Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 10 minutes, drain, pat dry and pound lightly in a mortar until fluffy.
- 2Bring a pan of water to the boil with a pinch of salt and sugar, drop in the prawns and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until pink and just cooked. Lift them into iced water, drain, and halve them lengthwise.
- 3Make the dressing: shake the chilli, garlic, palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and water in a jar until the sugar dissolves. Taste; it should be sour, salty, sweet and hot in balance.
- 4Peel the pomelo, remove all the white pith and membrane, and pull the flesh into bite-sized pieces, keeping them as whole as you can.✎ Chef’s noteTake the time to strip every bit of pith. It is bitter, and the salad is all about clean, juicy sacs of pomelo.
- 5Just before serving, toss the pomelo, prawns, pounded shrimp, shallots, mint and basil with about three quarters of the dressing. Taste and add more if needed.
- 6Pile onto a plate and scatter with the fried garlic, peanuts and toasted coconut. Serve at once alongside rice and other dishes.
Khmer home and restaurant tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Phnom Penh. The capital lends its name to its best-known bowl, kuy teav Phnom Penh. The noodle soup came from the Teochew Chinese (kuy teav is their word for cut rice noodles), and the city version is the most lavish in the country: rice noodles in a clear pork-bone broth sweetened with dried squid, loaded with sliced pork, ribs, offal and prawns and finished with fried garlic.
🗺️
Cambodia. Amok is steamed rather than stewed: freshwater fish folded through kroeung and coconut cream, poured into a cup folded from banana leaf and set over steam until egg sets it into something between a custard and a mousse. Kroeung itself comes in colours, yellow, red and green, built on lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and kaffir lime zest.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cambodia
Fish AmokA silky steamed fish curry-custard in banana-leaf cups, built on pounded lemongrass kroeung and coconut cream.
Bai Sach ChroukThinly sliced grilled coconut-marinated pork over broken rice, with pickles and a clear broth.
Nom Banh ChokRice noodles under a fragrant green fish-and-lemongrass gravy, piled with raw vegetables, Cambodia's Khmer noodles.
Browse all Cambodia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns)?
Juicy pomelo pulled into bite-sized pieces and tossed with poached prawns, pounded dried shrimp, mint and shallots in a sweet, sour, salty and hot lime dressing, topped with toasted coconut and peanuts.
Where does Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) come from?
Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) is a Cambodian (Khmer) dish from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Can Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Nhoam Krauch Thlong (Cambodian Pomelo Salad with Prawns) take to make?
About 35 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 5 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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