Sour tamarind fish curry soup with vegetables (Kaeng som)

1. Seed the dried chillies and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes.

2. Simmer a quarter of the fish fillet in the water for 5 minutes and lift it out; pound or blend the chillies, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste and cooked fish into a smooth paste.

3. Bring the fish cooking liquid to the boil, stir in the curry paste and simmer for 3 minutes.

4. Add the tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar; it should taste distinctly sour, salty and hot, with a hint of sweetness.

5. Add the green beans cut into 4 cm pieces, then after 3 minutes the Chinese cabbage pieces and the rest of the fish in large chunks, and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the fish is cooked.

6. Serve hot with rice.

Tip: This coconut-free "sour curry" is a staple of Thai home cooking – it can be made with almost any vegetable, such as cauliflower, courgette or papaya. Don't stir hard once the fish is in, so it stays in pieces.