Thai Fish Soup with Tamarind

Name: Thai Fish Soup with Tamarind
Yield: Makes 8 First-Course Servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons tamarind paste or juice of 3 limes; 2-½ pounds firm-fleshed white fish fillets, skin and bones removed; 1 cup boiling water if you’re using tamarind paste; 2 shallots, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 quart chicken broth; ¼ cup Thai fish sauce; 6⅛-inch slices of peeled fresh galangal or ginger; 2 Thai chilies or 4 Jalapeño chilies, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons safflower oil; 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, ground to a powder, 1 tablespoon; 3 kaffir lime leaves or a 2-inch strip of lemon zest, chopped; 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves; a 2-inch length of lemongrass, finely sliced, or 3 scallions, both white and green parts, finely sliced

Preparation info

Makes
8
First-Course Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Splendid Soups

By James Peterson

Published 2000

About

Even though you may need to shop around for some of the ingredients used in Thai soups, almost any combination of Thai ingredients or even substitutes makes wonderful soup. I never let a missing ingredient or two stop me when I’m in the mood for something tart and spicy (which is often). If you don’t know where to shop for Thai ingredients, go into a local Thai restaurant and ask them where they buy their ingredients or order from some of the sources listed in the back of this book.

Ingredients

Starter
Spicy
Soup
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method