Tom Khlong (ต้มโคล้ง (Tom khlong))
Overview
Tom khlong is a hot and sour Thai soup made with smoked dried fish. The broth is flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and shallots and dried chillies that are first roasted over a flame until charred, which gives the soup a deep smoky taste. Pieces of smoked dried fish, such as smoked snakehead or catfish, are simmered in it until they soften. It is soured with tamarind juice and lime, seasoned with fish sauce and finished with fresh coriander and sometimes mushrooms. Unlike tom yum it has no chilli paste, so the broth stays clear and dark gold.
History
Tom khlong is an old dish of central Thailand, where rivers and rice fields gave plenty of freshwater fish, and smoking and drying them was a way to keep the catch. It is seen as a home-style soup, and many Thai families make it when someone has a cold, since the smoky, sour and spicy broth is thought to clear the head. Versions are also made with fresh fish, chicken or pork ribs.
Main ingredients
Smoked dried fish, tamarind, lemongrass, galangal, dried chillies, shallots. The soup is built on smoky sour broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups · Lemongrass soups · More soups from Thailand
Recipe
Method
- 1
Bring the water to the boil with the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves.
- 25 min
Add the roasted shallots and chillies and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 310 min
Add the smoked fish and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 4
Season with tamarind, fish sauce and lime juice.
- 5
Serve topped with coriander.
- ✓
Serve. About 40 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
