''Kaeng tai pla'' ( th, แกงไตปลา, ) is a

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...

of southern Thai cuisine. 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.

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 an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

instead of water. The usual ingredients of the dish can include bamboo shoots,

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...

pea eggplant ''Solanum torvum'', the turkey berry, devil's fig, pea eggplant, platebrush or susumber, is a bushy, erect and spiny perennial plant used horticulturally as a rootstock for eggplant. Grafted plants are very vigorous and tolerate diseases affe ...

s, yardlong beans and fresh chilies. Other vegetables used alternatively are '' Parkia speciosa'',

baby corn An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

and also potatoes if bamboo shoots are not available. 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 chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

s, shrimp paste,

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asi ...

lesser galangal ''Alpinia officinarum'', known as lesser galangal, is a plant in the ginger family, cultivated in Southeast Asia. It originated in China, where its name ultimately derives. It can grow 1.5 to 2 m high, with long leaves and reddish-white flowers. ...

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

, kaffir lime zest and leaves, shallots and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

References

External links

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

History

Ingredients

See also

References

External links