Thai Tamarind and Lime Fish Stew (Kaeng Som)

About This Recipe

Kaeng som, sometimes called Thai sour curry, is one of the most assertively sour dishes in Thai cooking, built around a paste of dried chili, shallot, and shrimp paste simmered into a thin broth soured heavily with tamarind. Unlike coconut-based curries, this one has no coconut milk at all — the broth stays clear and sharp, which is exactly the point. White fish is classic here, added last so it just barely cooks through and stays flaky rather than falling apart in the pot. Vegetables that hold their shape under a hard boil — cabbage, green beans, or unripe papaya — go in earlier so they soften without turning to mush. A final squeeze of lime on top of the tamarind souring gives the broth a two-layered sourness that's distinct from most other Thai curries. This is peasant food in the best sense: built to stretch a small amount of fish across a family meal with plenty of rice, using pantry staples like tamarind paste and dried chili that keep for months.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 5 wholedried red chilies, soaked and seeded
• 4 wholeshallots
• 1 tbspshrimp paste
• 1 tspsalt
• 1.2 Lwater or light fish stock
• 4 tbsptamarind paste, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tbsppalm sugar
• 2 cupgreen cabbage, chopped
• 1 cupgreen beans, cut into 5cm lengths
• 500 gfirm white fish fillets (snapper or tilapia), cut into chunks
• 1 wholelime, juiced

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the curry paste

   Pound soaked dried chilies, shallots, shrimp paste, and salt in a mortar and pestle until smooth, or blend with a splash of water.

2. 2

   Build the broth

   Bring water or fish stock to a boil, stir in the curry paste, and simmer 5 minutes until fragrant.

3. 3

   Season the broth

   Add dissolved tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Taste and balance — it should be distinctly sour, salty, and slightly sweet.

4. 4

   Cook the vegetables

   Add cabbage and green beans, simmer 8-10 minutes until just tender but not mushy.

5. 5

   Add the fish

   Slide in the fish chunks and simmer gently 4-5 minutes until just cooked through — avoid stirring hard so the pieces stay intact.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Remove from heat, stir in fresh lime juice, and serve hot over jasmine rice.

Variations

• •

  Substitute shrimp or mussels for the fish for a shellfish version.

• •

  Use green papaya instead of cabbage for a more traditional Southern Thai take.

• •

  Add pineapple chunks in the last few minutes for extra sweetness against the sourness.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days; reheat gently on the stove and add fresh fish if reheating more than once, since the original fish will overcook.

Frequently Asked Questions