Quote:
Originally Posted by Brazen_NL
In Indonesia, they use terasi, which can be described -- and used -- in much the same way. I see that there is a Thai translation, but it isn't listed as a regular ingredient. Sadly, they don't sell it in NL anymore. 
Smell: awful. Flavor added to dish: godly. |
That's a different ingredient. Indonesian 'terasi' is a thick paste used for its flavor, while 'nam pla' is a liquid, used as much for it's salt value as its flavor. Both smell really, really bad.......
In Thai, it's known as 'Ga-pi' or 'ka-pi.' (The first consonant sound is glottal, almost sub-vocal.) English would just call it smelly shrimp paste. It's an important ingredient in several Thai curry pastes. We can buy it fresh (if you can ever call this stuff 'fresh,') in the Thai markets, or in jars in the supermarket. Powerful stuff... half a teaspoon of it can flavor an entire dish made for four people.
Stitchawl