Roasted sweet potato gets a fresh, tangy and spicy dressing with lime and fish sauce. Shallot, mint, coriander and toasted coconut add sharpness and crunch. Serve this salad warm as a starter.
This salad is inspired by Thai yam salads: a broad family of salads in which a bold dressing of sour, salty and spicy flavors brings the other ingredients together. There is no single set recipe for yam, and this version with roasted sweet potato is a vegetable variation, not an attempt to recreate a specific classic. The sweet potato is soft and lightly caramelized at the edges; lime and fish sauce provide a sharp, salty freshness in contrast. A little palm sugar rounds out the dressing without making it sweet.
Roasting gives the potato more flavor and a firmer texture than boiling. Cut the cubes to roughly the same size and spread them out on the baking sheet, leaving space between them. That way, moisture evaporates and the edges brown instead of the pieces steaming. Cook them until tender, but take them out of the oven before they fall apart: they should be able to absorb the dressing and still hold their shape as cubes. Toss them with the dressing while the potato is still warm; add the mint and coriander afterwards so their aroma stays fresh.
The balance is easy to adjust. Taste the dressing before pouring it over the potato: add more lime juice if it tastes too salty or sweet, a little fish sauce if it tastes flat, or more chili for extra heat. Palm sugar is available at Asian grocery stores; light brown sugar works too, although the flavor will be a little less rounded. Fish sauce contributes a lot to the savory character. Soy sauce can be used as an alternative, but it gives a different flavor and makes the dish less recognizably Thai-inspired.
The salad works as a starter for three or a side dish for two. Serve it lukewarm, for example before a meal of rice and grilled vegetables or fish. Toast the coconut in a dry frying pan and keep it moving: the thin flakes brown quickly and can go from golden to too dark in a matter of seconds. Sprinkle them over the salad just before serving so they stay crisp. Any leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator and eaten cold; the herbs and coconut will be less fresh and crunchy, though.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Toss the sweet potato with the oil and spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast the potato for 20–25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the cubes are tender and browned at the edges.
Meanwhile, toast the coconut flakes in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Shake the pan regularly and remove the coconut as soon as the flakes are golden brown.
In a large bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the chili and shallot.
Toss the warm sweet potato with the dressing. Leave to stand for 2 minutes so it can absorb the flavor, then gently fold in the mint and coriander.
Divide among plates and sprinkle the toasted coconut over the salad just before serving.
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