This is not one of the known and common dishes you would find on menus of Thai restaurants, but I’m here to show you the less familiar and more exotic and authentic Thai dishes such as this one. This is not a plant based dish but a Thai classic.
‘Khao Kluk Gapi’ ข้าวคลุกกะปิ is a complete meal revolving around two of the most rudimentary ingredients of Thai cuisine, rice and shrimp paste. The former is known of course as the staple food, the bread of southeast Asia, while the latter is equally important in Thai cuisine. Sharimp paste or ‘Gapi’ is a paste made of fermented little krill shrimp. This is an ancient food that has been and still is a source of protein, but also a flavoring ingredient that adds deep umami taste to so many Thai dishes.
‘Khao Kluk Gapi’ is rice seasoned with shrimp paste, that is typically served with toppings and side dishes, such as sliced omelette, green vegetables, green mango, shallot, fresh and dry chilies, special ‘Cha Om’ omelettes, Chinese sausages, clear soup and more.
The little food stall in the Banglamphu area of Bangkok is not located in one of the hot spots of this hectic neighborhood, but is known for its great Shrimp paste rice. Thais typically eat this at lunch, but the stall is opened from the morning, ready to serve.
The owners were really friendly and patience despite the numerous questions I had and countless photos I’ve taken. The great thing about this dish is the diversity of ingredients, flavors and textures, the shrimp paste is really subtle and the dried fried chilies with their smoky flavor and sharp spiciness were just superb.
Thaifooding 