Tom saap

Tom saap is a hot and sour soup from the Isan region of northeast Thailand, built on minced pork and pork offal in a clear broth. It is one of the everyday soups of the region and is usually eaten with sticky rice.

What it really is

Tom saap is made by bringing a light stock to the boil with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and shallots, then adding finely minced pork and thinly sliced pork liver and other offal, which cook quickly in the simmering broth. The soup is soured with lime juice and seasoned with fish sauce, and it is thickened only slightly by toasted rice powder (khao kua), which gives it a nutty aroma and a grainy body. Fresh chilli, spring onion, mint and coriander are added at the end.

Look-alikes include tom yum, which is built on a clear broth with prawns or chicken and no minced meat, and larb, which is a dry or lightly moist salad of minced meat rather than a soup. The defining features of tom saap are the minced pork, the offal, and the toasted rice powder.

How it's served

• Served hot in a bowl as part of a shared Isan meal with sticky rice
• Eaten with sticky rice, which is rolled into balls and dipped into the soup
• Often accompanied by raw vegetables and herbs such as cabbage, long beans and mint
• Diners add extra fish sauce, sugar, chilli or lime juice to adjust the balance at the table

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: minced pork, pork offal and toasted rice powder (khao kua), with lime juice and lemongrass
• Flag fish sauce, which contains fish, for guests with a fish allergy
• State the spice level, as the soup is usually very hot
• Indicate whether pork liver and other offal are included, as some diners avoid them