Photograph of the finished Tom klong

Thailand · Canh chua cay khói Tom klong

Tom klong

40 min Hands-on time
MediumDifficulty
5 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Dried herring Dried herring 11.3 oz
  • Photograph of Sour tamarind Sour tamarind 3.5 oz
  • Photograph of Galangal Galangal 2.8 oz
  • Photograph of Lemongrass Lemongrass 8 stalks
  • Photograph of Dried chillies Dried chillies 16
  • Photograph of Dried shallots Dried shallots 2.8 oz
  • Photograph of Thai lime leaves Thai lime leaves 12 leaves
  • Photograph of Fish sauce Fish sauce ¼ cup
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

Method

  1. 1 Grill the dried fish over charcoal until it has a smoky aroma, then tear it into pieces and discard the bones.
  2. 2 Grill the dried chilies, dried onions, and galangal until the skin is slightly charred; this is the source of the smoky flavor of the dish.
  3. 3 Boil water with crushed lemongrass and Thai lime leaves.
  4. 4 Add the grilled fish and the grilled spices, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. 5 Add the tamarind juice to make it sour, season with fish sauce, then turn off the heat.

With an appliance

  • Air fryer 38 min

    Replace steps 1 and 2: Grill the dried fish, dried chili peppers, dried onions, and galangal in an air fryer at 200 degrees for 7 minutes, remove the chili peppers at minute 4, and flip the fish at minute 5. The smoky flavor will be milder than charcoal grilling, but the ingredients will still be slightly charred and fragrant before cooking in the soup.

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