Smoked Fish & Herb Soup (Tom Klong)

Ingredients

• 400g undyed smoked haddock fillet, skinned
• 1.2 litres fish or chicken stock
• 3 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 5cm lengths
• 5cm fresh galangal, thinly sliced
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 4 shallots, halved
• 3 dried red chillies, toasted in a dry pan
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar or light brown soft sugar
• 150g oyster or button mushrooms, torn
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 bird's eye chillies, lightly bruised
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• small handful fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Put the shallots in a dry frying pan and char them over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until blackened in places. This gives the soup its smoky depth.

2. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the shallots, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and toasted dried chillies, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar until dissolved.

4. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes and fresh chillies and cook for 3 minutes.

5. Cut the haddock into large chunks and slip into the broth. Simmer very gently for 4 minutes until the fish just flakes. Handle carefully so it does not break up.

6. Take off the heat, stir in the lime juice and taste for balance. Ladle into bowls and top with the spring onions and coriander.