Tom Klong
In the monsoon season in Thailand when sea of green rice paddy full of water there come snakehead fish aka ‘Pla Chon’. A very common freshwater fish that can be found in most regions of Thailand and widely used in many Thai cooking recipes. Today’s recipe I’m going to make uses a key ingredient is smoked snakehead fish. Tom Klong is a sour and hot soup base which utilises tamarind as base for sourness and cuts the taste with saltiness of fish sauce. Additional dried chilli often includes making the soup kicking taste buds. Here we go!
Ingredients
3 dried smoked snakehead fish
2 king oyster mushroom
6 slices tomato
4 tbsp tamarind paste
2 ½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp stock powder
5 dried chilli (add more if desire)
500 ml water
6 sawtooth coriander leaves
2-3 golden shallot
1-2 young galangal
3 kaffir lime leaves
5 garlic cloves
1 stalk lemongrass
How to make
In a soup pot, add water and turn the heat up to high. Once the water is simmering, add stock powder and dried chilli.
Slice lemongrass, galangal, peel garlic and shallot. Toss them on a hot pan until fragrant, then transfer them into the soup pot. Cut some smoked fish into chunks, and add it to the pot. Once the fish is softened, add some sliced oyster mushrooms and tomatoes.
To season the soup, add some fish sauce and tamarind paste and give it a taste. It should be sour and salty on the tongue. Turn off the heat, then tear some kaffir lime leaves and sawtooth coriander into the soup. Serve immediately. This soup is perfect for a cozy night in, it's comforting, flavorful, and delicious. Enjoy!
