Name: Tom Yum Pla (Thai Fish Chowder)
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 8 shallots, peeled; 5-cm knob galangal, peeled and finely sliced; 5 kaffir lime leaves; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 coriander roots, bruised; 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; 8 bird’s eye chillies, bruised; 500 g Spanish mackerel fillet, cut into bite-size pieces; 2 tablespoons cooking oil; 15 dried chillies, seeded, then soaked to soften and drained; 3 stalks lemongrass, bruised and sliced lengthwise in half; coriander leaves; ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce (nam pla)

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Little Thai Cookbook

By Marshall Cavendish

Published 2014

About

Tom yum needs no introduction, but the uninitiated may be daunted by its spiciness. Fret not; the number of chillies used can definitely be reduced, as it isn’t just about the spice. The soup is also fragrant with lemongrass, coriander, galangal and fish sauce, all of which combine to produce a lemony, refreshing broth. Tom yum is best eaten with steamed jasmine rice, to temper the spiciness.