A northern Thai soup-curry of dill (which appears in Thai cooking almost exclusively in the north, where Burmese and southern Chinese culinary influence introduced it), lemongrass, fresh turmeric, roasted shallots, dried chillies, and typically chicken or river fish. Gaeng om is one of the most distinctive of all Thai regional preparations for a Western palate — the combination of dill with the standard Thai aromatics produces something that is simultaneously unfamiliar and harmonious, the dill's fennel-anise character integrating with the lemongrass's citrus in a way that has no equivalent in the central or southern Thai kitchen. Thompson identifies gaeng om as among the clearest examples of the culinary geography of the Thai kitchen.
**The paste:** - Dried long red chillies, roasted shallots and garlic, lemongrass, fresh turmeric, galangal, shrimp paste. - All pounded in sequence (Entry T-02 methodology). The paste for gaeng om is less smooth than a central Thai curry paste — a coarser texture is characteristic. **The preparation:** 1. Fry the paste in oil (no coconut cream — gaeng om uses water or light stock as its cooking medium). 2. Add the protein. Stir to coat. 3. Add water or stock and fish sauce. 4. Simmer gently for 20–30 minutes. 5. Add dill (a large quantity — the dill should be visible and prominent in the finished soup). 6. Add spring onion. 7. Finish with fish sauce and a small quantity of lime juice. Decisive moment: The quantity of dill — gaeng om without sufficient dill is a curry of moderate interest; with the correct generous quantity of dill, it is unique. The dill is added in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking — enough time to wilt and infuse the broth with its aromatic compounds but not so long that the volatile anethol and fenchone are driven off.
*Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)