Gaeng Om Neua (Isan-Style Herbal Curry with Beef and Dill)
I’m an Isan girl. Meaning I’m from the Northeast region of Thailand and only grew up a few hour from Laos. This is the dish taught by my father with a few twists of my own. Unlike coconut based curry such as red and green curry. Gaeng Om has a lot cleaner, more earthy, and much lighter.

What I like about this recipe.
- This dish features a variety of vegetables and is versatile enough for you to customize without compromising taste or quality. The main vegetable that makes this dish distinctive is dill. Dill is high in calcium and offers several health benefits, such as improving digestion, lowering cholesterol and blood sugar, and promoting lactation, making it great for new moms. You can read more about the health benefits of dill in “Health.”
- Though I use beef in this recipe. It is very common to use chicken and pork instead.
- A few options for ingredients that gives salty taste for this dish are bouillon, fish sauce, Pla ra (a sauce made from fermented freshwater fish, adds intense savoriness with a hint of sweetness. However, in this recipe I only use chicken bouillon and fish sauce. Just to simplify life :).
- It is a “Cleaning the fridge” menu and it is very healthy!
Vegetables that must have and may have in for this recipe
Must have
Dill, Thai Chili peppers, lemon or Thai basil, and green onion.
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May have (meaning any of these would work)
1.Mushrooms such as oyster and straw mushrooms. Even button mushrooms will work.
2. Leafy greens such as bok choy, tat soy, yu choy, green cabbage.
3. Squash family such as zucchini, chayote, acorn, butternut squash, banana squash, and pumpkin.
4.Others such as long bean, green bean, Thai apple egg plants.
Gaeng Om Neua Recipe ( Isan Style Herbal Curry with Beef and Dill)
Ingredients
For the curry paste
- 3-4 pieces galangal
- 3-4 Thai chili
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 3 -4 shallots sliced
- 1 lemongrass
For the curry (soup)
- 50 grams fresh dill (Or just a handful)
- 50 grams Thai basil (Or just a handful)
- 1-2 green onion chopped
- 300 grams beef thinly sliced
- 3-4 cups stock (chicken or beef stock)
- 1½ – 2 tbsp bouillon powder (chicken or beef bouillon)
- 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1-2 tbsp toasted rice powder
- 2 cups cabbage chopped
- 1 zucchini medium size (sliced)
- 1 cup butternut squash (optional)
- 1 cup mushroom oyster, straw, or even button mushrooms
Instructions
Make the curry paste
- Pound galangal, Thai chili, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots together. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can use a blender or simply chop these ingredients to make a rough paste
Make the curry
- In a pot, deep pan, or wok, add about 1/4 cup of water. Use medium heat to cook the paste for a few minutes, then add thinly sliced beef. Stir and cook until the beef is about 80% done. Add 500-800 mL of water or broth to the wok, followed by harder vegetables such as pumpkin or squash.
- Once the hard vegetables begin to be soften, add vegetables that cook quickly such as mushrooms and cabbage.
- Season your soup/curry with 1-2 teaspoons of bouillon powder. Depends on how salty and sweet your stock and the vegetables are. Add 1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce.
- Add chopped fresh dill, basil, chopped green onions (about an inch long for these chopped herbs).
- Add the toasted rice powder. Turn the heat off . Serve with sticky rice or the regular jasmine rice and enjoy!
Video
@stickyricethaikitchen Husband ate the entire wok of this under rated dish. Simply healthy and delicious! #อ่อม #อ่อมเนื้อ #thaifood #underated #soupseason #veggies #dill #soup #curry
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