Photograph of the finished Khao tom pla

Thailand · Cháo cá kiểu Thái Khao tom pla

Khao tom pla

40 min Hands-on time
EasyDifficulty
6 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Sea bass Sea bass 2.5 lb
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb
  • Photograph of Ginger Ginger 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of Celery Celery 7.1 oz
  • Photograph of Garlic Garlic 32 cloves
  • Photograph of Fish sauce Fish sauce ⅓ cup
  • Photograph of Oil Oil ⅔ cup
  • Photograph of Spring onion Spring onion 4.2 oz
  • Photograph of White pepper White pepper 0.6 oz
  • Photograph of Chicken broth Chicken broth 11 ¾ cups

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.

Start cooking