Gaeng Som (แกงส้ม) — Thai Sour Curry with Fish and Vegetables

• 14 gdried red Thai chilies (seeds shaken out for medium heat)
• 3 gfine sea salt
• 70 gshallots (peeled and sliced)
• 4 clovegarlic (peeled)
• 25 gfresh fingerroot (scraped and thinly sliced)
• 10 gshrimp paste
• 120 gfirm white fish fillet (such as sea bass, snapper, or cod)
• 900 mlwater
• 55 gtamarind pulp (seedless wet pulp)
• 120 mlwarm water (for extracting tamarind)
• 45 mlfish sauce
• 18 gpalm sugar (finely shaved)
• 180 gdaikon radish (peeled and cut into 5 mm half-moons)
• 160 ggreen papaya (peeled, seeded, and cut into thin wedges)
• 120 glong beans (cut into 5 cm lengths)
• 160 gChinese cabbage (cut into wide ribbons)
• 2Thai bird's eye chilies (lightly bruised, optional for extra heat)

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the dried red Thai chilies in a small bowl and cover them with hot water for 15 minutes. Drain them well, then chop them roughly so they pound smoothly into the curry paste.

2. 2

   Bring 900 ml water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and add the 120 g fish fillet reserved for the paste. Poach it for 4 minutes, then lift it out and reserve the cooking liquid for the curry broth.

3. 3

   Pound the soaked chilies with the fine sea salt in a granite mortar until the skins break down into a coarse paste. Add the shallots, garlic, fingerroot, and shrimp paste, pounding after each addition until the paste is moist, aromatic, and mostly smooth.

4. 4

   Flake the poached fish and pound it into the curry paste until fully incorporated. This is a classic Gaeng Som technique that thickens the broth and gives the curry a savory fish depth without using coconut milk.

5. 5

   Massage the tamarind pulp with 120 ml warm water for 1 minute, then press it through a fine sieve into a bowl. Discard the fibers and seeds, and keep the strained tamarind liquid ready near the stove.

6. 6

   Return the reserved fish cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk in the pounded curry paste until it disperses evenly. Simmer for 5 minutes so the chilies, shrimp paste, shallots, and fingerroot season the broth thoroughly.

7. 7

   Stir in the tamarind liquid, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes, then check that the flavor is sharply sour first, salty second, and only faintly sweet in the background.

8. 8

   Add the daikon and green papaya and simmer for 6 minutes, or until they are just beginning to turn tender. Keep the heat moderate, because a rolling boil can make the curry muddy and break up the fish later.

9. 9

   Add the long beans and Chinese cabbage, then simmer for 3 minutes until the vegetables remain bright and slightly crisp. The vegetables should taste seasoned but not collapse into the broth.

10. 10

    Slide in the 480 g fish pieces and the bruised Thai bird's eye chilies, if using. Simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes without stirring hard, spooning broth over the fish until it is opaque and just cooked through.

11. 11

    Remove the pot from the heat and let the curry stand for 2 minutes before serving. Serve hot with jasmine rice, allowing the rice to soften the curry's tamarind acidity and chile heat.