Central Thai Gaeng Som Sour Curry with Prawns

What you need

• 10 g (0.35 oz) dried red chilies, seeded, soaked in hot water 10 min
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp fingerroot, krachai, chopped
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 720 ml (3 cups) fish or chicken stock, unsalted, or water
• 75 g (2.5 oz) white fish fillet, any firm white fish
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar, chopped
• 150 g (5 oz) long beans, or green beans, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 250 g (9 oz) napa cabbage, in bite-sized pieces
• 300 g (10 oz) raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp lime juice, optional
• jasmine rice, steamed, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Drain the chilies and put them in a blender with the shallots, garlic, fingerroot, shrimp paste and salt.

2. 2

   Add just enough water to get the blades turning and blend to a smooth, deep red paste.

3. 3

   Heat the stock in a saucepan until it simmers.

4. 4

   Add the fish and poach until it turns opaque and flakes, 2-3 min. Lift it out with a slotted spoon.

5. 5

   Mash the fish finely with a fork or pound it in a mortar, then stir it into the red paste. It gives the curry its body.

6. 6

   Stir the paste into the stock and bring it back to a boil.

7. 7

   Season with the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar. The broth should taste sour first, then salty, then faintly sweet.

8. 8

   Add the beans and simmer for 3 min.

9. 9

   Add the cabbage and simmer until it wilts but still has some bite, 2 min.

10. 10

    Drop in the prawns and cook just until they curl and turn pink, 1-2 min.

11. 11

    Take the pot off the heat, taste and add more tamarind, fish sauce or the lime juice as needed.

12. 12

    Serve hot in bowls with the rice on the side.

Imported from hot-thai-kitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.