Southern Thai Sour Fish Curry (Gaeng Som Pla)

Firm white fish steaks and mooli in a fierce, tangy southern curry of turmeric, dried chillies and tamarind.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 55 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 600g thick cod or haddock fillets, skinned and cut into 4cm chunks
  • 800ml water
  • 1 mooli (daikon), about 250g, peeled and cut into 1cm slices
  • 100g long beans or green beans, cut into 4cm lengths
  • 150g white cabbage, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 3 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp palm sugar or light brown soft sugar
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 10 dried long red chillies, deseeded and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, for the paste
  • 4 shallots, peeled, for the paste
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled, for the paste
  • 3cm fresh turmeric, peeled, or 1 tsp ground turmeric, for the paste
  • 2cm fresh galangal, sliced, for the paste
  • 1 tbsp shrimp paste, for the paste
  • 1/2 tsp salt, for the paste
  • 300g jasmine rice, to serve

Method

  1. Drain the chillies and pound or blitz them with the shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, shrimp paste and salt to a very smooth paste.

  2. Bring the water to the boil in a wide saucepan. Stir in the paste until dissolved and simmer for 5 minutes.

  3. Add the mooli and cook for 6 minutes, then add the long beans and cabbage and cook for 3 minutes.

  4. Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar.

  5. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

  6. Slide in the fish pieces and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes until just opaque and flaking, without stirring too much.

  7. Take off the heat, add the lime juice and serve in bowls with the rice.