Local name
Ka-pi-koong
Koei-koong |
Ingredients
Planktonic and semi-planktonic saltwater or brackish water shrimp.
Salt. |
Fish normally used:
Acetes erythraeus (Koei-dtaa-daeng)
Acetes sp. (Koei-malet-khao-saan-som-oh)
Mesopodopsis orientalis (Koei-dtaa-dam) |
| Fermentation: |
4-6 months. |
| Storage life: |
12-18 months, depending on the amount of salt used, but not more than 2 years. |
| Production: |
Home industry in the East and South. |
| Properties: |
Ka-pi is a dark-coloured strong smelling paste. The colour varies slightly depending on the raw materials used. Ka-pi from Koei-dtaa-daeng has a pinkish purple colour and that from Koei-dtaa-dam has dark purple colour. Ka-pi possesses a characteristic flavour at the time of ripening, which varies for each batch. A low salt mixture results in 20 ? 5% salt as sodium chloride and it should be eaten within 1 year of making into paste. For Ka-pi with a salt content of 30 ? 5% the right time to eat is after 14-16 months of maturing and the characteristic flavour is gradually lost after 18 months.
The flavour of Ka-pi is considered as an indicator of its quality. Fish paste (Ka-pi-plaa) is not popular among consumers, so it is mixed with shrimp paste to make a cheaper and lower quality product. In the m arket it is not always possible to tell whether the Ka-pi is pure shrimp paste or not as the seleers don't like to show that it is low quality, but a low price should indicate low quality. |
Microorganisms
Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Pediococcus halophilus, Corynebacterium sp. (found during the late stages of ferrmentation), Lactobacillus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus sp.
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| Method |
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Step 1: Wash the shrimp and gently mix with about 15-30% of sea salt by tossing in a bamboo basket. Keep the mixture in either a bamboo basket or a wooden vat for 1-2 days, after which the contents are drained of liquid and spread on a bamboo mat to sundry. The liquid drained off can be further used to make fish sauce. The shrimp is partially dried at this stage with about 70% loss in weight.
Step 2: Pound the mixture or mince it to a paste until it becomes sticky, similar to kneaded bread dough. Packed it tightly in wide-mouthed earthenware jars or wooden vats. Usually the paste is packed above the rim of the container into a dome shape to allow liquid to flow off, and loosely covered with cloth or betel palm leaf sheaths. Leave the paste to ferment and age at least 4 months if a low proportion of salt is used and 6 months if a high proportion is used until the Ka-pi is matured. At this period the paste gradually changes from soft to hard texture and the characteristic flavour is maintained for about 18 months. |
| Consumption |
| As Ka-pi has such a high salt content it is not eaten alone. It is used in various spicy soups or for flavouring dishes. Ka-pi-kooa is a spicy paste made by pounding Ka-pi with various ingredients such as chilli, galingale, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and kaffir lime peel. This mixture is used to make soups. Another main use is to make a condiment called Nam-prik for which Ka-pi is mixed with garlic, bird chilli, and lime juice or tamarind. The ingredients vary according to local practice and taste. Nam-prik is popular for dipping vegetables in to eat with rice. Ka-pi is also cooked with fried rice or with coconut milk to make a vegetable dip. |
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