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1
Pound the soaked dried chillies, galangal, lemongrass, and shallots together in a mortar to a coarse, cohesive paste, working the harder aromatics — galangal and lemongrass — into the mass first so their fibres break down before the shallots are added and turn the paste wet too soon. The paste is ready when no large fibrous pieces remain and the mass holds together — the aroma will be sharp and distinctly herbaceous rather than sweet.
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2
Bring the water to a boil in a wide pot, add the paste, and stir to disperse it completely so no clumps of raw aromatic sit on the bottom and scorch. The broth should remain thin and clear-ish — this is where the dish lives or dies: do not enrich with stock, and categorically do not add coconut milk; the broth must stay a light, herbal liquor. Simmer for five minutes until the raw chilli note softens.
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3
Add the freshwater protein and simmer until just cooked through, keeping the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil so the flesh stays intact and does not break apart in the broth. Fish flesh will turn opaque and begin to flake at its thickest point; frogs' legs will lose all translucency at the joint.
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4
Add the bamboo shoots first, then the dok khae, cha-om, and phak wan in quick succession, staggering them this way so the denser shoots have a moment longer in the heat before the delicate flowers and leaves go in and risk overcooking. Cook only until the greens are just tender and have lost their raw resistance to the tooth — they must retain their colour and some texture — and take the pot off the moment a leaf yields without disintegrating.
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5
Remove from heat, add the fresh dill, and stir it once through the broth so it meets the heat evenly rather than sitting in one hot spot and cooking to nothing. The herb should wilt in the residual heat rather than cook — the scent rising from the pot should be green, grassy, and immediate.