Adventures in Thai Cooking & Travel
Shrimp Paste
Gkabpi
by Kasma Loha-unchit
Text Copyright © 1995 & 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit.
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Shrimp Paste (Gkabpi) 
As with fish sauce, no true Thai kitchen is quite complete without gkapbi – the dense, dark purplish and greyish brown, fermented shrimp paste with an intensely pungent odor, which most unaccustomed westerners find overpowering and even repulsive. If you think that fish sauce is quite enough and no way are you ever going to be talked into eating this rotten-smelling stuff, think again. Just about every delicious Thai curry you've ever had, has gkapbi as a vital component; this strong character blends beautifully with the robust flavors of chillies, garlic, fragrant spices, pungent roots and aromatic herbs to make each curry a delightful whole. In addition, there are many spicy soups, salads, sauces and stir-fries that would not be the same without its essence.
In one form or another, gkapbi makes its mark in just about every Thai meal, and especially among villagers in the Thai countryside, there is hardly one that would be complete without some kind of nahm prik (hot and spicy dipping sauces for vegetables and fish) in which this shrimpy paste simply shines. A favorite nahm prik is named after it (nahm prik gkapbi ) since it is the primary ingredient; accompanying pan-fried, local gulf mackerel (bplah too) and raw, blanched and egg-dipped-and-fried vegetables, this humble food of peasant origins undisputedly constitutes one of Thailand's favorite foods – popular among both poor and rich. In fact, when one of Thailand's beauties won the Miss Universe title, her answer to the question "What's your favorite food?" delighted Thais around the country when she without hesitation named this combination of nam prik, mackerel and vegetables nahm prik bplah too .
Like fish sauce, gkapbi is rich in protein, B vitamins, calcium and iodine. Also like fish sauce, not all gkapbi is the same and can vary quite a bit in color, aroma and quality. Though much of it is rather smelly, reminding one of rotting shrimp, the fresher and higher grades can actually have a pleasant, albeit strong, aroma. Some of the best can be found in the bustling markets and roadside stalls of several seaside towns known for their seafood products; and each chance I find to vacation on the southern coast back home, I can't resist picking up a supply for my kitchen. When I run short, the two I favor from among brands imported into America are: Pantainorasingh and Tra Chang (also of fish sauce fame). Both have a distinct smoky aroma, reminiscent of roasted shrimp, and when combined with other robust Thai ingredients, a little bit of the concentrated paste goes a long way to adding a whole lot of delicious shrimpy flavor. Unlike fish sauce, shrimp paste is still mostly made by fishing families in villages along the coast, then sold to market vendors for resale to consumers, or to middlemen and distributors, who package them into containers with their brand names on them. Because each area has its own way of making shrimp paste, the product collected from families and villages in the same vicinity tends to share similar qualities. gkapbi , therefore, becomes known by the province or village from where it comes.
My husband and I once visited a small village known for the quality of its gkapbi , made from miniscule white shrimp, known as keuy, smaller even than a housefly. Fishing boats leave for sea in the morning and return in late afternoon with their catch. The sleepy village suddenly awakens, as the shrimp are unloaded, rinsed, laid out to drain before salting (approximately 1 cup sea salt to two pounds of shrimp), then filled into earthenware jars overnight.
The 
next
morning, they are spread out on plastic or fiberglass mats on the ground next to the
fishermen's simple wooden homes to dry in the hot tropical sun. Late in the day, they are
gathered and re-stored in the jars for the night, to be laid out again the next day when the
sun burns hot. This goes on for three or more days, until the shrimp disintegrate and dry from
pink to a dark purplish brown. When the shrimp are no longer recognizable and completely turned
into dense paste, the gkapbi is ready for use and is returned to the earthen jars
until an agent comes by to collect it. The shrimp paste gathered from all the families in the
village is mounded into enormous, colorful plastic tubs, each weighing several hundred
kilograms when filled. If properly dried, the paste can keep for several months without
refrigeration.
To make gkapbi from larger shrimp, the shrimp are allowed to ferment for a few days in the earthen jars to soften their shells before placing out to dry in the sun. The drying takes longer, the number of days or weeks dependent on the size of the shrimp. During the drying stage, partially decomposed shrimp are periodically put through a grinder, or pounded in a large mortar, then placed out to dry further until they become a fine paste and develop the dark finished color. The agent keeps the different grades made from different kinds of shrimp in separate, color-coded tubs. Even though we were surrounded by huge mounds of paste, several tons in all, we were amazed how we barely noticed the stench of fermenting shrimp, unless we put our noses right up close to the paste. That day, we bought a few kilograms of the best grade from the village to give as gifts to family and friends for a mere pittance; stalls along the major highway nearby sell the same grade for double the price; and by the time it makes its way into Bangkok, the price would have climbed a lot more.
Similar pastes made from shrimp are also used in the cooking of southern China and other Southeast Asian countries. These can vary from light pinkish grey and very moist, fluid-like sauces in jars to dark chocolate-brown, firmly compressed blocks. The kind used for Thai cooking leans toward the latter. Since other Asian cultures use shrimp paste differently in their cooking and prefer different strengths, it is best to purchase a product from Thailand for use in Thai dishes.
gkapbi from Thailand usually comes packaged in small plastic containers, labeled as "shrimp paste" and listing shrimp and salt as the only two ingredients. Most brands cover the top of the paste with a layer of wax to seal in freshness; remove before using. When refrigerated after opening, it will keep indefinitely. Because different batches vary in saltiness and shrimpiness, make adjustments as necessary in the recipes that call for it.
Text Copyright © 2000 Kasma Loha-unchit in Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood. See pages 36 to 38.
This is just one of many listings in the "Alphabetical List of Ingredients" in chapter four (pages 49 to 73) of Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.
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Gkabi Shrimp Paste
This 
concentrated product
of finely ground fermented shrimps in sea salt has an even more compelling smell than its
companion, fish sauce. There are vastly varying qualities, the odor differing accordingly. Many
are undeniably foul-smelling, but there are a few brands that actually have a pleasant, albeit
very powerful, roasted shrimp aroma. Many Westerners have unknowingly purchased gkapi
because of its benign name, "shrimp paste," only to discover its true nature. Not having the
faintest idea of what it is supposed to be like, some have tried to return the product,
complaining to the store that it has rotted and spoiled.
Like fish sauce, gkapi is rich in protein and B vitamins. It is an essential ingredient in making chilli pastes and curry pastes. Just about every curry paste has a dab or two of gkapi in it. When pounded and blended in with an array of aromatic herbs and spices, its powerful smell dissipates and actually makes the entire concoction very fragrant. When cooked into food, a little bit of this concentrated paste adds a whole lot of delicious shrimp flavor. A favorite use for gkapi among Thai people is as the primary ingredient in a very pungent dipping sauce for raw or lightly blanched vegetables and fried fish, called nahm prik gkapi. Wrapped in a banana leaf and roasted over hot coals, it is then pounded in a mortar with chillies and garlic, followed by the addition of lime juice, fish sauce and sugar to constitute an intensely hot, shrimpy and limy sauce. Other ingredients may be added to make other nahm prik (chilli dipping sauces), such as tiny, bitter pea-eggplants; fried dried shrimp; cooked and chopped fresh shrimp; young green peppercorns; sour tamarind and roasted maengdah, a roachlike insect with a most unusual fragrance. Nahm prik sauces are definitely for hard-core Thai food lovers only.
Gkapi is packaged in small plastic containers or glass jars and is labeled as "shrimp paste." The only ingredients listed are shrimp and salt. The color varies from a pinkish or purplish grey to a dark greyish brown. The consistency also varies, from soft and pasty to dry and hard, depending on how long the fermented shrimp was allowed to dry in the sun. Most brands cover the top with a layer of wax to seal in freshness. Remove this waxy layer before using. Once opened, refrigerate the paste to keep it fresh-tasting, for although salty, it can change color over time and become even more concentrated. Refrigerated, it keeps indefinitely. Always cook gkapi before consumption. Because different batches vary in saltiness and shrimpiness, make adjustments as necessary in recipes that call for it.
When you visit Thailand, take note of the big mounds of brown-and-grayish matter filling large metal bowls in the fresh marketplaces. As you walk by, you will unmistakably identify it as gkapi. A choice of types and grades in differing shades and unit prices are sold by weight to satisfy different users' needs. The bustling markets and roadside stalls in the seacoast towns of Rayong, Hua Hin, Petchburi, Chaiya and Trang sell enormous quantities of their very fresh, high-quality and very fragrant gkapi daily to Thai tourists who frequently make stops to buy foodstuffs to take home. I myself bring a couple of large containers of the best gkapi back to America each year.
Text Copyright © 1995 Kasma Loha-unchit in It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking. See pages 54 to 55.
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Recipes with Shrimp Paste:
Salads
Green Papaya Salad (Som Dtam)
Curries
Green Curry with Fish/Shrimp Dumplings
(Gkaeng Kiow Wahn Loogchin Bplah/Gkoong)
Vegetables
Pan-Fried Mackerel and Assorted Vegetables
with Hot-and-Pungent Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce
(Nahm Prik Bplah Too)
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About this site
Text Copyright © Kasma Loha-unchit, 1995 in It Rains Fishes, and 2000 in Dancing Shrimp. All rights reserved.
Photographs Copyright © 1995 Michael Babcock. All rights reserved.
Watercolor Copyright © 1995 Toby Goodenough. All rights reserved.
All material on this website is Copyright © 1995 to 2008 Kasma Loha-unchit. All rights reserved.
For comments, feedback or questions, contact Kasma.
Last updated 15 April 2003.