Gaeng Som (Thai sour fish curry)
Bright, sour Thai fish curry with tamarind and turmeric — light, fragrant broth studded with pumpkin, long beans and tender white fish.
Gaeng Som is Thailand’s puckery, turmeric-kissed sour curry — sharper and lighter than creamy curries, with an impossibly fresh, zingy broth. It’s excellent when you want something that’s bright, quick to make and packed with veg and tender fish.
This version uses a straightforward chilli-shallot paste and tamarind to give that classic sour tang; tuna, prawns or leftover roast white fish work well if you want a shortcut. Serve with steamed jasmine rice to soak up the tangy broth.
Ingredients
- 8 dried red chillies — stemmed; seeds removed for milder curry if preferred
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 shallots — peeled
- 10 g shrimp paste
- 5 ml ground turmeric
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 60 g tamarind paste — diluted into hot water as directed in method
- 600 ml water
- 60 ml fish sauce
- 25 g palm sugar — or light brown sugar as substitute
- 6 kaffir lime leaves — bruised
- 200 g pumpkin — peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
- 150 g long beans — trimmed and cut into 4cm pieces
- 150 g courgette — halved lengthways and sliced
- 400 g firm white fish fillets — skinless, cut into 3cm chunks
- 30 ml lime juice — about 1 lime
- 10 g fresh coriander — leaves roughly chopped, for garnish
- salt — to taste
Equipment
- mortar and pestle or small blender
- sieve
Instructions
Put the dried red chillies in a heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes until softened, then drain well.
Make the gaeng som paste: in a mortar and pestle (or small blender) pound/blend the drained chillies with the garlic cloves, shallots, shrimp paste and ground turmeric to a smoothish paste, adding 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to help the mixture come together.
Make the tamarind broth: whisk the tamarind paste into 600ml hot water until dissolved. If the paste has fibres, push the mixture through a sieve into a jug and discard the solids.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the paste for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until aromatic and the oil separates slightly.
Pour the sieved tamarind broth into the pan with the fried paste, add the fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes to let flavours marry.
Add the pumpkin pieces and simmer for 8–10 minutes until just tender when pierced with a knife.
Add the long beans and courgette and simmer for 2–3 minutes, then gently add the firm white fish fillets. Simmer for a further 4–6 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Turn off the heat, stir in the lime juice and adjust seasoning with salt or extra fish sauce if needed. Scatter over the fresh coriander and serve immediately.
Tips
- If you prefer a milder curry, remove all chilli seeds before soaking and start with fewer chillies; you can always add more heat at the end.
- Sieve the tamarind mixture to remove fibres — it makes the broth silky and avoids bitter bits in the finished curry.
- Cut all vegetables to similar sizes so they cook evenly; pumpkin should be about 2cm pieces to finish with the fish.
- Make the paste in advance and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days — it develops flavour and saves time on the day.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat gently on a low heat so the fish doesn’t break up too much.
Substitutions
firm white fish fillets → raw peeled prawns, same weight (add for the final 3–4 minutes only)
Stays closepalm sugar → light brown sugar, same weight
Stays closetamarind paste → 40 ml lime juice plus 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (use cautiously, tastes noticeably different)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 330
- Calories
- 24 g
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make gaeng som less spicy?
Yes — remove the chilli seeds before soaking, reduce the number of dried chillies, or use milder dried chillies. Add heat back later with chilli flakes if needed.
Can I use tinned tamarind instead of paste?
You can; tinned pulp should be strained into hot water and adjusted to taste. Tamarind paste is more convenient and concentrated.
How do I prevent the fish from falling apart?
Cut fish into chunky pieces, add it to a gently simmering broth (not a rolling boil) and cook for just 4–6 minutes until opaque.
Can I make this ahead?
Make the curry base and paste a day ahead and store separately. Reheat the broth and briefly poach the fish and veg just before serving for best texture.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!