Thai Gaeng Som Cha Om

A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping again at Asia Store 2 on Sophienstrasse in Karlsruhe. The fresh groceries from the refrigerator there were very expensive due to the current situation. Only the acacia shoots, called “Cha Om” in Thailand, were relatively inexpensive, and since I’m always curious when it comes to Thai ingredients I don’t yet know, I picked some up. I had heard several times that Cha Om shoots are quite an acquired taste for us Europeans, but the same was said about neem leaves or stink beans, and both of those are things I really enjoy.

I must admit, however, that the smell of Cha Om shoots is indeed very, very unusual. But now that I had bought them, I had to make something with them. Besides, there are also European vegetables that don’t smell particularly good and still taste great. The most common way to eat Cha Om shoots is probably in an omelet, which is then called “Khai Djiau Cha Om” ( ไข่เจียวชะอม ).

These omelets are then often served as a side dish or even as an ingredient in sour curries. So I kept it quite classic and cooked a simple Thai “Gaeng Som Cha Om” ( แกงส้มชะอม ), where the omelet is used as an ingredient. Gaeng Som is a sour curry without coconut milk, which I already knew from Thailand but had never prepared myself. This version of the curry is kept quite simple, though normally a special curry paste is made for it.

The finished Gaeng Som Cha Om was very tasty, and the acacia shoots don’t taste nearly as strong as they smell, although the flavor is unusual and slightly bitter. That said, Cha Om harmonizes very well with the eggs and the sourness of the curry.

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Preparation

If using frozen shrimp, thaw them gently first. If you have fresh shrimp on hand, you can of course start right away with the Khai Djiau Cha Om. For this, crack two eggs and whisk them together in a bowl. Then pluck the acacia shoots from the branches, being careful as the branches have small thorns. Add the Cha Om shoots to the eggs and mix well.

Heat plenty of oil in a pan and fry the eggs with the Cha Om shoots into a fluffy omelet. Fry the omelet on both sides until it reaches the desired thickness and browning. Let the finished Khai Djiau Cha Om cool briefly, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Now we can turn our attention to the curry. First, squeeze the lime and keep the juice ready. Next, fry the Gaeng Som curry paste and shrimp paste in a wok with a bit of oil. Once both pastes are fragrant, add the lime juice and reduce the heat slightly. Add some water and fish sauce. Finally, stir in the palm sugar and let the curry simmer for a short time.

After about five minutes, add the shrimp and continue simmering the curry. Once the shrimp are cooked, add the chopped omelet and simmer with it for a couple of minutes.

Serve the finished Gaeng Som Cha Om immediately with Thai jasmine rice.