Kaeng tai pla


Kaeng tai pla is a curry 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 pung pla is a southern food and the famous dish of Phatthalung Province since the King Rama 2 around 200 years ago. Kaeng tai pla is influenced by South India, which is the origin of cooking spices. The application of food culture between traditional Thai and South Indian cuisine. The main ingredient of kaeng tai pla is tai pla or pung pla made from the stomach of the fish to marinate the fish, such as catfish and snakehead fish marinated with salt for about 10–30 days so can take kai pla is used for cooking. The reason for having to bring the stomach of the fish to fermentation is to get tai pla because most of the food of the south is from the sea, but due to the high birth rate, it causes the preservation of kaeng tai pla.

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 instead of water.
The usual ingredients of the dish can include bamboo shoots, eggplants, pea eggplants, yardlong beans and fresh chilies. Other vegetables used alternatively are Parkia speciosa, baby corn, pumpkin 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 peppers, shrimp paste, turmeric, lesser galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest and leaves, shallots and garlic.