I don’t think I can accurately articulate how delicious and fresh this Nam Sod is. Imagine a fresh and zesty ginger and lime dressing that has a little bit of spicy heat, and a deep umami base flavor poured over tender ground pork and piled into lettuce cups, on top a bed of fresh, crunchy lettuce or cabbage, or over a bed of jasmine rice. No matter what you just imagined, I promise the real thing is even better. So just try it. ;)
What is Nam Sod?
Nam Sod is a Thai pork salad seasoned with a flavorful dressing made with lime, ginger, chili, and fish sauce. This stuff is super tasty, nice and light, but completely filling at the same time, which makes it an ideal summer meal.
The version I am sharing below is a simplified nam sod, adjusted for my American kitchen, but if you want to have a taste of the real thing or learn more about this amazing dish, make sure to check out these authentic nam sod recipes:
- Nam Sod from Cooking Thai Recipes
- Nam Sod with Chicken from Healthy Thai Recipes
How to Serve Nam Sod
I served mine over rice just to bulk it out a bit, but it’s often served over greens, like shredded cabbage, or as a filling for lettuce wraps. I bet it would be pretty good over thin rice noodles, too!
Is Nam Sod Spicy?
Nam Sod is traditionally pretty spicy, but my stomach has been a bit sensitive lately, so my version is a little softer. I left out thinly sliced fresh chilis and opted to use a chili garlic sauce instead. To reduce the heat even further in this salad, you can reduce the chili garlic sauce to one teaspoon.
Can I Substitute the Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce gives this dish a very distinct Thai flavor and I don’t suggest you skip it or substitute it. Fish sauce can be strong, but I made sure to use a smaller dose that is going to be a little more palatable for American taste buds.
If you have fresh mint growing, add a few sprigs of that to this salad for an extra fresh kick!
Balancing Cost and Quality
You may also notice the higher price tag for this dish and for the ground pork in particular. As a reminder, my priorities have shifted a bit lately and I’m now trying to buy more responsibly products while still working within my budget. If that’s not something that is a high priority for you at the moment, this recipe may cost you much less. Remember, working on a food budget doesn’t necessarily always mean buying the cheapest food possible. It means making choices based on your needs and priorities, which will be different for each person. Despite my choice to purchase more expensive meat, I’ve still saved substantially over eating out, and that’s what works for me. :)
Nam Sod (Thai Pork Salad)
Servings 4Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes) ($0.66)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce ($0.07)
- 1.5 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek ($0.17)
SALAD
- 1 lb. ground pork or turkey ($5.93)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/2 Tbsp canola oil ($0.02)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.38)
- 1 carrot ( $0.19)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro ($0.25)
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts ($1.68)
- 4 cups cooked rice (optional) ($0.72)
Instructions
- Make the dressing first to allow the flavors time to blend. In a small bowl combine the fresh lime juice, fish sauce, fresh grated ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust the fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, or ginger to your liking. The dressing should be very potent.
- Add the ground pork to a large non-stick skillet along with 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and one minced clove of garlic. Cook the pork over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, until it is cooked through (about five minutes). Drain off any excess fat and allow the pork to cool a few minutes, or until it is no longer hot.
- While the pork is cooking, peel and shred the carrot using a large holed cheese grater or mandolin. Slice the red onion into very thin strips. Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems.
- Transfer the cooled pork to a bowl, add the prepared dressing, and stir to combine. Add the shredded carrot, sliced red onion, cilantro, and peanuts. Stir to combine again. Serve the salad over a bed of cooked rice, shredded greens, or fill large lettuce leaves with the mixture for lettuce wraps.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Nam Sod – Step by Step Photos
Start with the dressing so the flavors have a bit of time to blend. Combine 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, (about 2 limes), 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1.5 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, and 1/2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce. If you don’t have chili garlic sauce (or sambal oelek), you can add a minced clove of garlic and some red pepper flakes. Fish sauce is a main flavor here, so it can not be substituted. You should be able to find fish sauce in the ethnic food aisle of most major grocery stores, at some health food stores, or at ethnic markets.
Next, cook 1 lb. of ground pork (or turkey) with 1/2 Tbsp canola oil and one clove of minced garlic. Sauté the ground pork in a large non-stick skillet until it’s cooked through (about five minutes). Avoid overcooking the pork as you want to make sure it stays moist and tender for the salad. Drain off any excess fat and allow it to cool slightly.
Once mostly cooled, transfer to a large bowl and pour the dressing over top. Stir to combine.
While the pork is cooking/cooling, peel and shred one carrot. You can use a large holed cheese grater for this, a spiralizer, or mandolin. Thinly slice 1/2 of a small red onion, and pull the leaves from about 1/4 bunch of cilantro.
Add the carrot, onion, cilantro, and 1/2 cup unsalted PEANUTS (sorry, I forgot the peanuts in the photos) to the seasoned meat.
Stir the salad to combine. And that’s it! (adjustments can be made to the dressing even at this point if it’s not where you like it).
I served my Nam Sod over a bed of rice because I wanted to really bulk it up, but a lot of people eat it over greens or inside lettuce wraps. I made sure to get a little bit of the dressing from the bottom of the bowl to drizzle over the rice. MMMmmmm.
I <3 Thai flavors.
I made this recipe last night and it was a success, my husband loved it! I will make it again for sure.
Made these with ground turkey and ate with salad greens. Very very good! Thank you for the recipe!
One of my fave recipes! Have made it with both pork and turkey. Definitely prefer the pork in terms of flavor, but the sauce is so good that it works with either. Most recently made it with ground turkey and ended up adding a splash of Worcestershire sauce just to up the umami flavor.
Thanks for another great meal, Beth!
This is one of my favorite salads! Can it be prepared vegetarian, without the meat, and still taste okay?
Hmm, I don’t think so because the fish sauce is really pivotal to get that unique flavor.
Made this tonight. It was DELICIOUS. Everyone loved it. The marinade was very potent! But it mellowed out just enough when mixed with the meat and veggies. I used ground turkey and it was great.
This is quick and simple recipe that was tasty and satisfying. I upped the garlic clove count to 3 from 1, went heavy on the grated ginger, and my GF added a few splashes more of fish sauce, plus a sprinkling of sugar, to come closer to the taste one of our local Thai places produces.
I’ve made this twice now with leftover kalua pork roast, shredded. Its amazing. The only difference besides the pork is that I use chili sauce (yes like the ketchupy kind) and add garlic, because chili garlic sauce is just too spicy for me. And I always have chili sauce on hand. This is a phenomenal way to use up leftover pork.
Both times I’ve spent a significant amount of time shoveling this into my mouth over the bowl before telling the family to join me for dinner :)
Fantastic as always!!!! I am thinking about how I can end up with good flavor but cut back on the sodium for next time. Maybe up the lime juice but reduce the fish sauce? Maybe cut the fish sauce and chili sauce with a bit of water? I dont know…but it was so good I want to eat it often but with that much sodium, I just cant :( Wonderful wonderful recipe though!
Yes, try reducing just the fish sauce, first. That’s the heaviest with salt. :)
You think ground turkey would work?
Yep! :)
I cant cook. My husband fears my skills in the kitchen.yet, this was simple, delicious and a home run. My husband loves it!!!
This is my first time trying Nam Sod, and honestly, it’s out-of-this world DELICIOUS!! I didn’t have ginger and chili sauce on hand, so I added Sriracha and garlic. I used ground chicken instead of ground park for a healthier alternative. I served the Nam Sod over a bed of rice. I’ll definitely make this recipe again, and thank you so much, Beth!!! :-)
Beth, I made this last night. It was pretty authentic. I loved that you dialed the sauce down a bit for this… It was nice a little less spicy. The flavors were all very well balanced. I added a bit more garlic to the sauce and to the meat, because well, garlic is a food group for me. Other than that, I made it exactly as written. It was also SOOO easy. Dinner in 20 minutes or less? DONE. I am definitely going to be making again tonight. Thanks for constantly giving me inspiration for my cooking game. I’ve been cooking your recipes since 2010 and I honestly have never made a flop.
I’m looking forward to making this recipe next week!! :-)
Another terrific recipe, Beth.
Made for the first time last night without any modification. Both my wife and I found it to be delicious and have some leftovers to be eaten for lunch at work.
As a 54 year old who has always cooked, this was my first time using Fish Sauce. When combined with lime, ginger and sambal-oelek, it was simply a delicious recipe..
Hello, I’ve followed your blog for about a year, and wanted to say how much I appreciate you listing responsible, quality choices in this post. That is something close to my heart and love that you mentioned it. Thanks for continuing to be awesome! –Ashley, Kentucky