Authentic Thai Recipe Ingredient: Thai shrimp paste
Thai shrimp paste
กะปิ (Kapi)
Shrimp paste is made by fermenting ground shrimp and salt. It has a pungent aroma. In Thailand shrimp paste (kapi) is an essential ingredient in many types of nam phrik, spicy dips or sauces, and in all Thai curry pastes, such as the paste used in kaeng som. Very popular in Thailand is nam phrik kapi, a spicy condiment made with fresh shrimp paste and most often eaten together with fried pla thu (Short mackerel) and fried, steamed or raw vegetables. In Southern Thailand there are three types of shrimp paste: one made only from shrimp, one containing a mixture of shrimp and fish ingredients, and another paste that is sweet.