Kaeng Som

The curry is characteristic for its sour taste, which comes from tamarind (makham). The recipe uses palm sugar (Thai: น้ำตาลปี๊บ, namtan pip) to sweeten the curry.

Kaeng som

Traditional kaeng som with drumstick pods
Place of origin	Laos, Malaysia, Thailand
Region or state	Central, Southern Thailand, Northern Malaysia, Laos
Associated cuisine	Laos, Malaysia, Thailand
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Fish and vegetables
Variations	Lao Kaeng som, Malaysian Asam rebus, Thai Kaeng som
Other information	Usually served with steamed rice
Media: Kaeng som

A paste called nam phrik kaeng som is prepared as a base for the curry, to which water and the ingredients are added. The preparation of this paste includes shrimp paste and shallots and all the ingredients are pounded with a mortar and pestle. This paste can be made from dry red chillies and one made from fresh red chillies. Some recipes state that large chillies should be used, others prefer bird's eye chilies.^{[citation needed]}

Fish or shrimp may be used as the basic ingredient. Preferred fish are those that keep their consistency after boiling, such as Channa striata or other equivalent marine fish in coastal locations. One variant uses fish eggs. Kaeng som is usually served with steamed rice.^{[citation needed]}

Traditional vegetables used in household preparation include drumstick pods (marum), green papaya, and Sesbania grandiflora flowers (dok khae), including the red variant of the flower in kaeng som dok khae daeng. Other locally available vegetables are used in the traditional versions such as Ipomoea aquatica (phak bung) and Neptunia oleracea (phak krachet).

Following the popularization of the dish, currently the favored vegetables include cauliflower, daikon, cabbage, chinese cabbage, carrot, long beans and asparagus, as well as cha om omelet.^{[citation needed]}

The versions using shrimp instead of fish are more popular; kaeng som with shrimp and cha-om omelet is now a standard dish in Thailand. Other types may include pineapple or seafood. The common point, however, is that coconut milk is not used in this sour curry.

Believed that this type of sour soup was developed from the ancient food since Ayutthaya period was called "Kaeng ngao ngod" (แกงเหงาหงอด). Which is a food that is similar to kaeng som today, assumed that it was adapted from the Portuguese soup by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a Japanese-Portuguese-Bengali woman who was the chief of king's kitchen in the royal court of King Narai period.

• Southern Thailand has its own sour curry, which is locally called kaeng som, but in the rest of Thailand is called kaeng lueang ("yellow curry") or kaeng som phak tai ("southern Thai kaeng som") to differentiate it from the central Thai kaeng som. It differs from the central Thai dish through its use of tamarind paste, assam fruit (som kaek) and lime juice to achieve the sourness, turmeric, which gives it a yellow color, garlic, shallots. The main characteristics of the southern variant is the use of turmeric and that it very spicy, sour and salty.^{[citation needed]}
• In Kelantan, the Malaysian state adjacent to Thailand, the Kelantanese-Thai dish kaeng som no mai dong is a version of kaeng som with pickled bamboo.
• Lao cuisine has a dish called kaeng som with different ingredients; a version of it has pork and kaeng som pla is a fish soup that includes lemongrass and mushrooms.
• In Chonburi Province, a version of kaeng som is made using kaffir lime as the souring agent and Solanum aculeatissimum eggplants (Thai: มะเขือเปราะ; makhuea pro).
• In Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, there is a variant of the dish using fresh chili and Ocimum tenuiflorum (กะเพรา), a type of basil leaves.
• Kaeng som kai wan is a kind of kaeng som with chicken instead of fish.

 

Wiki Commons has media related to Kaeng som.

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• highheelgourmet.com: kaeng som koong recipe