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Thai

Gaeng Som (Southern Thai Sour Fish Curry)

A sharp, light Southern Thai sour fish curry with tamarind, sour curry paste, fish sauce and tender white fish.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Gaeng Som (Southern Thai Sour Fish Curry)

40 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
Medium
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Twenty-five minutes. The broth wants a few minutes to balance before the fish goes in, and the fish itself takes barely five.

Method

  1. Bring the measured water to a simmer in a saucepan and whisk in the sour curry paste until it dissolves into the broth.

  2. Add tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar, then simmer until the broth tastes sharp, savory and lightly sweet.

  3. Add bamboo shoots, green beans and bird's eye chile, then cook until the vegetables are just tender.

  4. Lower the heat and slide in the white fish pieces without stirring too much.

  5. Simmer gently until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

  6. Finish with coriander leaves and serve hot while the curry is bright and brothy.

How to tell it's done

The curry should be thin and brothy, the fish tender, and the vegetables crisp-tender.

Getting it right

Tip

Add the fish near the end and avoid heavy stirring; this keeps the pieces intact in the light sour broth.

What to serve it with

Serve with jasmine rice as a light, sharp Thai curry meal.

Common mistakes

The fish breaks apart in the pot.
Slide the pieces in and stop stirring. Move the pan rather than the spoon from that point on — gaeng som is thin and brothy, and there is nothing holding the fish together.
The curry is sour and nothing else.
Taste and adjust before the fish goes in, not after. Sour curry needs the fish sauce and palm sugar to carry the tamarind; if it makes you wince, it needs both, not more water.

Substitutions

  • Use any firm White Fish variety that holds together in a broth.
  • Use Green Beans instead of Bamboo Shoots if bamboo shoots are unavailable.
  • Check Sour Curry Paste labels for shrimp paste, fish sauce, soy or gluten depending on the brand.
  • Adjust Tamarind Paste and Palm Sugar together so the curry stays sour but balanced.

Storing and reheating

Keeps two days in the fridge, though the fish firms up. Better practice is to store the broth alone — it keeps three days and freezes for two months — and poach fresh fish into it when reheating.