Khao tom pla

What to get ready

• Sea bass 1.1 kg
• Steamed rice 800 g
• Ginger 120 g
• Celery 200 g
• Garlic 32 cloves
• Fish sauce 80 ml
• Oil 160 ml
• Spring onion 120 g
• White pepper 16 g
• Chicken broth 2.8 l

Method

1. 1 Khao tom uses pre-cooked rice added to the broth instead of cooking the rice from scratch, so the rice grains remain intact.
2. 2 Simmer chicken broth with sliced ginger for 10 minutes, then add rice and cook for 6 minutes.
3. 3 Sauté minced garlic in oil until lightly golden, then remove and set aside to make garlic oil and fried garlic.
4. 4 Slice the fish thinly and drop it into the simmering porridge for exactly 90 seconds.
5. 5 Add fish sauce and turn off the heat immediately; if the fish is left for more than 2 minutes, it will become mushy and fall apart in the porridge.
6. 6 Drizzle with garlic oil, then sprinkle with fried garlic, celery, green onions, and white pepper.

With an appliance

• Microwave 39 min

  Replace step 4: arrange the fish slices in a single layer in the porridge bowl, microwave at 700W for 60 seconds, then let it rest for 30 seconds; a shorter heating time of about 30 seconds ensures the fish cooks thoroughly from the inside out and doesn't need stirring, resulting in less mushy slices. Step 2 continues cooking the rice in the broth on the stovetop to keep the grains intact.