Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 4 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, softened with 2 tablespoons water, (use 1 tablespoon lime juice if tamarind paste is not available)
• 1 anchovy fillet
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 3 cups clam juice
• 1 to 2 pounds white fish fillets (cod, halibut, or snapper), skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup snow peas
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 small cucumber, peeled, trimmed, seeded, and cut into thin julienne strips

Instructions

1. In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook rice until tender. Drain, set aside, and keep warm.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine shallots, garlic, chopped cilantro, ginger, tamarind paste, anchovy, and brown sugar and puree until smooth.
3. In a soup pot, combine puree, cayenne, fish sauce, and clam juice and bring to a boil. Add fish and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove soup from the heat and stir in lettuce, radishes, and snow peas. Ladle soup into bowls and serve sprinkled with scallions, cilantro leaves, and cucumber.