Gaeng Som (Sour Curry with Fish)

Name: Gaeng Som (Sour Curry with Fish)
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 10 Dried Long Red Chilies (Prik Chee Fa)s, seeds removed and soaked; 6 Small Shallots, roughly chopped; 1 tsp Shrimp Paste (Kapi); 1 tsp Coarse Salt; 1 l Water; 500g Firm White Fish, cut into 4–5 cm pieces; 500g Green Papaya, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces; 4 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Concentrate); 3 tbsp Fish Sauce; 1 1/4 tbsp Palm Sugar

Gaeng Som is a bright, tangy Thai sour curry that balances pucker from tamarind with a warm, fruity heat from red chilies and the savory depth of shrimp paste. Silky chunks of firm white fish and crisp-green papaya simmer in a thin, aromatic broth that’s sweetened with a touch of palm sugar and seasoned with fish sauce — comforting and addictive with steamed rice. This version keeps the sauce light and vibrant so the fresh fish and papaya shine through.

Gaeng Som is a bright, tangy Thai sour curry that balances pucker from tamarind with a warm, fruity heat from red chilies and the ... Show more

Traditional Thai Recipe

Health Grade

A · Excellent

Time

55 min

Price

2,42 €

Calories

306 kcal

low calorie

one pot

low carb

low fat

Method

Soak the chilies

Snap the stems off the dried long red chilies, split them open, and shake out the seeds. Put them in a bowl, cover with hot water, and let them soak for 15 minutes until they are soft and pliable, then drain well.

Prep the vegetables

While the chilies soak, peel the green papaya, cut it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and chop the flesh into bite-size pieces. Peel the small shallots and roughly chop them. If needed, cut the firm white fish into 4–5 cm pieces, check for any bones, and keep it chilled until you are ready to cook.

Pound the paste

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the drained chilies with the coarse salt until they break down into a rough paste. Add the shallots and keep pounding until the mixture looks moist and fairly smooth, then pound in the shrimp paste until everything is well combined and there are no large chunks left.

Simmer the papaya

Pour the water into a medium pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the papaya, lower the heat to a steady simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, until the pieces are starting to soften but still hold their shape.

Season the broth

Stir the curry paste into the simmering pot until it disperses into the broth. Add the tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the broth smells fragrant and tastes distinctly sour, savory, and lightly sweet.

Poach the fish

Reduce the heat so the curry is at a very gentle simmer, then slide in the fish pieces. Poach for 4 minutes, or until the fish turns opaque and flakes easily when pressed; keep the heat gentle and avoid vigorous stirring so the pieces stay intact.

Serve hot

Taste the curry and make sure the papaya is tender and the broth is lively and balanced. Ladle the gaeng som into bowls, giving each serving plenty of fish, papaya, and broth, and serve it piping hot.

Ingredients

Method

For 4 servings

Adjust servings

Curry paste

10 Dried Long Red Chilies (Prik Chee Fa)s, seeds removed and soaked
6 Small Shallots, roughly chopped
1 tsp Shrimp Paste (Kapi)
1 tsp Coarse Salt

Curry

1 l Water
500g Firm White Fish, cut into 4–5 cm pieces
500g Green Papaya, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
4 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Concentrate)
3 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 1/4 tbsp Palm Sugar

🧂 Plus ~2g of salt

Nutrition

Per Serving.

Calories

306 kcal

15% of Daily kcal

Protein

27 g

55% RDI

Fat

3.4 g

0.7g sat fat

Carbs

47 g

17% RDI

Sugar

32 g

65% RDI

Fiber

8.9 g

30% RDI

Salt

5 g

100% RDI

Quality Profile

Scored against dietary guidelines.
Tap rows for a deeper breakdown.

Composite score - weighted by current nutrition science

A · 8.5 / 10

What others say

Click to rate

spice_and_dice

1 month ago

Decent enough base, but I'd suggest making your own shrimp paste if possible and definitely bumping up the aromatics—a little galangal goes a long way here. It needs more depth to really sing.

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Adjust servings

Curry paste

10 Dried Long Red Chilies (Prik Chee Fa)s, seeds removed and soaked
6 Small Shallots, roughly chopped
1 tsp Shrimp Paste (Kapi)
1 tsp Coarse Salt

Curry

1 l Water
500g Firm White Fish, cut into 4–5 cm pieces
500g Green Papaya, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
4 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Concentrate)
3 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 1/4 tbsp Palm Sugar

🧂 Plus ~2g of salt

Gaeng Som (Sour Curry with Fish)

Method

Soak the chilies

Prep the vegetables

Pound the paste

Simmer the papaya

Season the broth

Poach the fish

Serve hot

Ingredients

Method

Curry paste

Curry

Nutrition

Calories

Protein

Fat

Carbs

Sugar

Fiber

Salt

Quality Profile

What others say

Ingredients

Curry paste

Curry

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