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''Kaeng tai pla'' (, ) is a
''Kaeng tai pla'' is a highly spicy curry; it has a very intense umami taste. It is made mainly with fish and vegetables. Sometimes it includes prawns and certain variants use Fish Belly (Tai Pla) Curry
/ref> In the past, only grilled catfish was used in the curry without the addition of any vegetables as the natural sweetness of cooked vegetables was not desirable. The other ingredients are ''tai pla'' sauce, which contributes greatly to its characteristic smell and taste, as well as both dry and fresh
Southern Thai Ancient Fermented Fish Innards Curry with Grilled Catfish
- Recipe and the dish history
Kaeng tai pla recipeBangkok Post - South tantalises Bangkok tastebudsTai pla curryStep by step Kaeng tai pla recipe with pictures (in Thai)
Thai curries {{thai-cuisine-stub
curry
Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...
of southern Thai cuisine
Thai cuisine (, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that ...
. Its name is derived from ''tai pla'', a salty sauce made from fermented fish entrails, which gives the curry a strong smell and flavor.
This curry is usually served with fresh vegetables in a separate plate and eaten along with steamed rice.
History
''Kaeng tai pla'' or ''kaeng phung pla'' is a southern food and the famous dish from Phatthalung Province, but is also found in other Southern cities. The dish was mentioned in Thai historical records since at least the reign of King Rama II of the Bangkok period, more than 200 years ago. ''Kaeng tai pla'' is originally influenced by South Indian cuisine, as many ingredients (cooking spices) used to make it came across the Indian Ocean from that region. Historically, there have been constant interactions and exchanges between cultures (and cuisines) of South Thailand and South India, in particular the Tamil kingdoms including the Chola. The main ingredient of ''kaeng tai pla'' is "tai pla" or "pung pla" made from the stomach of the fish marinated in salt. Typically the fish entrails used are from catfish and snakehead fish, fermented with salt for about 10–30 days, before it can be seasoned with spices and used for cooking. In 2024, TasteAtlas, a website that provides information about food from all over the world, often ranks the best and worst dishes of various types. Most recently, they ranked the "Kaeng Tai Pla" was crowned the number 1 worst dish.Ingredients
''Kaeng tai pla'' is a highly spicy curry; it has a very intense umami taste. It is made mainly with fish and vegetables. Sometimes it includes prawns and certain variants use coconut milk
Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
instead of water.
The usual ingredients of the dish can include bamboo shoots, eggplant
Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...
s, pea eggplants, yardlong beans and fresh chilies. Other vegetables used alternatively are '' Parkia speciosa'', baby corn, pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...
and also potatoes if bamboo shoots are not available./ref> In the past, only grilled catfish was used in the curry without the addition of any vegetables as the natural sweetness of cooked vegetables was not desirable. The other ingredients are ''tai pla'' sauce, which contributes greatly to its characteristic smell and taste, as well as both dry and fresh
chili pepper
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
s, shrimp paste, turmeric
Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...
, lesser galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest and leaves, shallots and garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
.
See also
* *References
External links
Southern Thai Ancient Fermented Fish Innards Curry with Grilled Catfish
- Recipe and the dish history
Kaeng tai pla recipe
Thai curries {{thai-cuisine-stub