A bright Thai curry broth with tamarind, chili and garlic: sour, spicy and savory, with tender sweet potato and juicy pieces of white fish. Jasmine rice completes the dish.
Gaeng som is a Thai sour curry with a clear broth, not the creamy, coconut-rich sauce many people associate with curry. The exact ingredients vary by region and household; in this home-style version, the bold flavor and simple approach come together in tamarind, chili, garlic and shrimp paste. The curry paste is dissolved in water, keeping the broth light so the flavors of the fish and vegetables aren’t lost beneath a thick sauce.
Tamarind brings a fruity, lingering sourness. Use tamarind paste or concentrated tamarind juice, adding it gradually: the strength varies by brand. Tamarind blocks should first be soaked in warm water and rubbed through a sieve; then use the strained liquid. A little palm sugar rounds off the sharp edge, but shouldn’t make the curry sweet. Fish sauce adds salt and savoriness. So taste only at the end, and add extra fish sauce or tamarind a little at a time.
Sweet potato is a deliberate variation here on vegetables used in other versions of gaeng som. Cut the pieces to roughly the same size so they cook evenly. First simmer them in the broth until almost tender: this lets them absorb flavor without falling apart. Firm white fish, such as cod or pollock, goes in only at the end. As soon as the fish is just opaque and flakes easily, take the pan off the heat; cooking it for longer makes the pieces dry and crumbly.
The heat comes mainly from dried red chilies. Remove the seeds for a milder curry, or leave them in if you want more heat. A mortar and pestle makes a coarse paste; a small food processor also works, with a spoonful of water if needed to get the blades going. Shrimp paste is characteristic of this flavor profile and isn’t the same as shrimp broth. If you leave it out, the savory character will change; taste the broth and, if needed, adjust it further with fish sauce.
Serve the curry with jasmine rice, preferably in a separate bowl so everyone can have rice with the sour broth. The rice softens the chili heat and soaks up the broth well. When serving, put both fish and sweet potato in the bowls and ladle plenty of broth over them. Eat leftovers within two days, store them covered in the refrigerator and reheat gently until piping hot throughout; stir carefully so the fish pieces stay whole.
Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Cook according to the package instructions and keep covered and warm.
Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain. For a milder curry, remove the seeds.
Pound the chilies with the shallot, garlic, shrimp paste and salt in a mortar and pestle to make a coarse paste. A small food processor can also be used.
Bring the water to a boil in a large pan. Stir in the curry paste, tamarind, fish sauce and sugar.
Add the sweet potato and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, until the cubes are almost tender but still hold their shape.
Carefully place the fish in the broth and simmer gently for 4–6 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish is just opaque.
Taste the broth and, if needed, adjust the balance with a little extra tamarind or fish sauce. Serve immediately with the jasmine rice.
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