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Corn, Plum, and Farro Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

VeggiesCorn Plum and Farro Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing Recipe
Photograph by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk

This super-summery grain salad is easy to switch up: Stone fruits like peaches or nectarines would be just as good as plums, and other grains like quinoa are an easy swap for the farro. Typically a dipping sauce, nuoc cham is used in a variety of ways in Vietnamese cooking, which inspired the tangy, sweet, and salty condiment’s use as a dressing in this recipe. —Rachel Gurjar

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

Nuoc Cham

Juice of 2 limes
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. light or dark brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

salad and assembly

½ cup semi-pearled farro
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
3 ears of corn, husked
4 red plums (such as satsuma or Santa Rosa), cut into wedges
2 red or green Thai chiles, thinly sliced
⅓ cup chopped mint
½ cup chopped Thai basil or cilantro, plus leaves for serving

Preparation

  1. Nuoc cham

    Step 1

    Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved; set dressing aside.

    Do ahead: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

  2. salad and assembly

    Step 2

    Bring farro, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 quart water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until farro is tender but still chewy, 20–25 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid and let cool.

    Step 3

    Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until kernels are charred, 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle. Cut kernels from cobs.

    Step 4

    Combine farro, corn, plums, chiles, mint, and ½ cup Thai basil in a large bowl and drizzle reserved dressing over; toss to coat. Taste and season salad with more salt if needed. Transfer to a platter and top with more Thai basil leaves.

    Do ahead: Farro can be cooked 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.

TagsSaladFarroRice & GrainsCornVegetablePlumStone FruitFruitThai ChileChileSummerSideDairy FreeNut FreeDinnerBon Appétit

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