Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cat fish (about half a pound prepared
weight)
2 cups fish stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon kha (galangal) -- julienned
1 tablespoon takhrai (lemon grass) -- thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bai phak chi (coriander/cilantro leaves)
1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilis) -- thinly sliced
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice
Method
Bring the stock to a simmer.
Add the galangal, lemon grass, coriander, chilis, fish sauce and lime
juice, and bring back to the simmer.
Clean the fish and cut it into 1" steaks, then divide them, removing
the bones.
Add the fish to the soup, and the coconut milk and bring back to a
very gentle simmer, and poach the fish for 3-4 minutes (until just
cooked).
NOTES:
There are two staple soups in Thai cuisine: tom yam is a hot spicy
clear soup with elements of sweet and sour flavors added. Tom kha is
a milder soup with coconut milk and galangal (kha) dominating rather
than the fiery prik (chili) of the tom yam.
Because it is milder tom khas are often made with chicken or pork,
but most common in Thailand are varieties using seafood (especially
shrimp, squid, or fish such as red snapper or catfish) or vegetables
(especially medleys of mushrooms, tom kha hed).
The catfish can be "crisped" by quickly, and briefly, deep frying it
in very hot oil, but this variation is based on simply poaching the
fish in the soup.
In Thailand the fish is cleaned, and then poached whole (with the
head), then removed from the soup, and cut into bite sized pieces
which are returned to the soup for serving. The method here is a
little simpler, in that it doesn't involve handling the hot fish.
Thais eat the galangal, which is cut into thin matchstick pieces.
However I have noticed that many western diners prefer to discard the
galangal and so it may be wiser to leave the galangal in thin slices.
Similarly the lemon grass is eaten, but you may prefer to cut it into
2" lengths, and crush them with a mallet. These may then be discarded
by the diner.
