Name: Spicy Pummelo Salad
Yield: Makes 6 first-course servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut *; 1 skinless boneless chicken breast (1/2 lb); 1 pummelo* or 2 grapefruit; 2 teaspoons dried shrimp; 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce*; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut cream* or unsweetened coconut milk (not cream of coconut) at room temperature, stirred well; 2 to 4 fresh red Thai chiles* (to taste, each 1 1/2 to 2 inches), minced; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 jumbo shrimp in shell (10 to 12 per lb); 1/4 cup Asian rice flour* (not sweet); About 4 cups vegetable oil for frying; Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves; an electric coffee/ spice grinder; a deep-fat thermometer

Yam Som O

Pummelo is an unusual Southeast Asian citrus fruit that is available here in the winter months. It has a very thick skin that ranges in color from pale yellow to dark green. Its flavor is similar to grapefruit's but is sweeter and less bitter, which makes it a great balance for the heat of chiles.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Cooks' note:

You can reuse the shrimp frying oil for the Fish with Red Curry Sauce. Cool the oil slightly then pour through a fine-mesh sieve.

Recipe notes

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