When I became pregnant, many people have asked whether there is a dish in Thai culture that pregnant and new mothers are encouraged to eat. And this is it!
Gaeng Liang is a peppery, light, yummy vegetable soup (or sometimes called a curry) believed to help boost breast milk supply in Thai culture. Whether or not it actually does, who knows, I don't think there's been a real study on it. But hey, it's comforting, healthy, and keeps well in the fridge, perfect for new moms so why not!
Now, if you're not having a baby, you can still enjoy it! This is not something that is reserved only for new moms—people do have it at home regularly, but new moms are especially encouraged to eat more of it. This is a dish I grew up seeing a lot at home, and my grandmother makes it quite often because my mom loves it. It's also popular amongst the health conscious because it's light and full of nutritious vegetables!
Gaeng Liang - A Unique Flavour in Thai Cuisine
I have to say that the flavour of this dish is unlike any other dish in Thai cuisine. The combination of dried shrimp, shrimp paste and grachai (fingerroot) in the curry paste creates an aroma that is truly unique.
It's a bit funky, thanks to the shrimp paste, and when I was a kid I didn't love it and didn't understand why my mom loved it so much. But now as an adult I do and finally get it! So if you're up for a culinary adventure and want to try a dish that's unlike anything the average Thai restaurant offers, this is the perfect thing!
So Many Vegetables!
As you can see, gaeng liang uses a ton of different kinds of vegetables, especially squashes. You don't have to have everything I used, as it can be a bit much and you'll have so much leftover veg, but I recommend having at least the following 3 vegetables:
- Kabocha squash - This will give a sweet, rich, creamy element which you will need to balance all the other lighter vegetables. If you don't have kabocha, any other sweet, creamy winter squash (like acorn) will do.
- One type of light summer squash - We traditionally use angled luffa or angled gourd (sing gua), but you can use zucchini, patty pans, cousa squash (shown in the video), chayote, or whatever lighter squash you have access to.
- One type of Asian mushroom - Oyster mushroom is my favourite, but you can do straw mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, beech/shimeji mushrooms, or enoki mushrooms. Do not use dried mushrooms as they have a strong earthy flavour that will interfere with the soup.
Is it a Curry or a Soup?
To Thai people, this dish is actually a curry (gaeng or kaeng means curry), but I understand that it's light and brothy, and eats more like a soup in the Western sense of the word.
This is because Thai people define curries differently from people in the western world. To us, a curry or a gaeng is any soupy dish that uses a "curry paste"—a ground up mixture of herbs and spices—as the flavour base. So that's why this is classified as a curry, even though to you it might look like a soup. To us, the richness or consistency of the liquid has nothing to do with whether it's a curry or not.
Another "soupy curry" that's really popular in Thai cuisine is gaeng som, or a sour curry that is an absolute classic. You should try it out!
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Print
Thai Peppery Shrimp and Veggie Soup - Gaeng Liang
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This healthy, herbaceous soup is loaded with veggies and juicy shrimp. In Thai culture, new moms are encouraged to eat gaeng liang because it's believed to increase milk production. Whether or not it really does, it's still a comforting delicious soup anyone can enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken stock or shrimp stock, unsalted, preferably homemade
- 1 recipe gaeng liang curry paste (recipe follows)
- 2-3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cups kabocha squash, unpeeled, bite-sized pieces
- Half an angled luffa (sing gua) or half a large zucchini
- Half a chayote squash, peeled and cut into sticks (or sub more angled luffa or zucchini)
- 150g oyster mushrooms, or another Asian mushroom, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 6 ears baby corn, quartered (optional)
- 150g shrimp or chicken (if using chicken, cut into cubes and marinate in a bit of fish sauce)
- 1 cup Thai lemon basil or Thai basil (see note 1)
- Jasmine rice for serving
Gaeng Liang Curry Paste
- 1½ Tbsp dried shrimp
- ½ - ¾ teaspoon white peppercorns (see note 2)
- Heaping ¼ cup shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp grachai (fingerroot), finely chopped (see note 3)
- 1-2 Thai chilies (optional, to taste)
- ½ tsp fermented shrimp paste (gapi)
Instructions
For the Curry Paste:
Note: I make the paste in a mortar and pestle old-school, but you can also blend everything in the blender with a little bit of the stock.
- In a coffee grinder, grind the dried shrimp until shredded and fluffy; set aside.
- In the mortar and pestle, grind white peppercorns until fine.
- Add grachai and Thai chilies, and pound until fine, then add shallots and pound until fine. If at any point the mixture becomes too wet and slippery and is difficult to grind, you can add some of the shredded dried shrimp to help absorb the moisture and add friction.
- Add the shrimp paste and any remaining dried shrimp and pound to mix.
For the Curry:
- In a medium pot, bring stock to a boil, then add curry paste and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoon of fish sauce, then add kabocha squash and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add all remaining vegetables and simmer for 3-4 more minutes or until the kabocha squash can be pierced easily with a fork. (Timing depends on thickness of your kabocha.)
- Add shrimp or chicken and cook just until they’re done, about 30 seconds only.
- Turn off the heat and stir in Thai of lemon basil.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce or salt as needed. If you want it to be spicier, you can add more ground white pepper at this point.
- Serve with jasmine rice. I like to put a bit of rice into a bowl of kaeng liang to make a rice soup out of it!
Notes
- Thai lemon basil is called bai mangluck in Thai. You may be able to find it at a Thai grocery store that stocks fresh produce. Otherwise Thai basil works well as a substitute.
- This soup is supposed to be quite peppery, but if you're not used to it it maybe overwhelming, so start out with ½ tsp, and you can always add more after.
- Grachai or Krachai is an aromatic rhizome what is used often in Thai cuisine. If you can't find fresh, not to worry, a brined version sold in glass jars (shown in video) works perfectly. You can find it at many stores that stock a lot of Southeast Asian products. Note that the label may say it is "pickled," but it's not, it's just brined in a salt solution (can't always trust the translation on Asian product labels!).
futileresistance says
I did not begin lactating but this recipe is still a gem!
Tia Y says
Made this recipe for a friend who became a new mother, and even though she was a more "squeamish" less adventurous eater, she loved the soup and so did her husband. I did omit the shrimp paste for her sake and made it with both chicken and shrimp, and it turned out to be hearty, mild, and comforting. It was very simple to make; the suggested veggies make for a lovely variance in texture.
Luke Parlor says
While it may not be the usual big, bold Thai flavours that I am use to, it was still delicious in its own heart warming, healthy, clean flavoured way.