作法
- 把100克額外的魚以少量高湯煮三分鐘至剛變白。瀝乾並放入石臼中與泡軟的辣椒、紅蔥、蝦醬與鹽搗成粗糙糊狀。
- 把其餘高湯在厚底鍋中煮至微滾。把辣椒魚醬攪入——它會溶化成鮮明的橘色湯。
- 慢煮八分鐘讓味道融合。顏色應是亮胡蘿蔔色，氣味銳利刺鼻。這就是底湯。
- 加入蔬菜煮至幾乎軟——白蘿蔔約十分鐘，空心菜兩分鐘，花椰菜七分鐘。在蔬菜煮的同時開始調味。
- 加入魚塊和羅望子、魚露、椰糖。再煮三分鐘——魚剛熟即可，湯應酸鹹微甜帶辣意。
- 離火後試味。Gaeng som應酸到讓你眨眼；若不夠就再加羅望子。盛深碗配白飯，傳統上配一塊cha-om金合歡蛋餅平衡酸味。
Common questions
Can 酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） be made ahead?
酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is 酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） spicy?
酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is 酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is naturally gluten-free as written.
How hard is 酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） to make at home?
酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 40 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can 酸味咖哩（Gaeng Som） be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
文化背景
Gaeng som字面意思是「橘色咖哩」，名字來自顏色，與柑橘無關。它是泰南與中部主食，是廉價魚與大量羅望子的家常解法。曼谷美食街的版本比董里或喀比的溫和許多——後者羅望子量驚人、辣椒猛烈。常見搭配是khai jiao cha-om——一道蓬鬆的金合歡蛋餅，吸收酸味就像麵包吸湯一樣。
