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Shrimp paste

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Belachan in a market of Malaysia
Shrimp paste being dried under the sun in Hong Kong
Baskets and mounds of Thai shrimp paste (kapi) at Warorot market, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi (also spelled trassi, terasie) in Indonesian, ngapi (ငါးပိ, IPA: [ŋəpi̯]) in Burmese, kapi (กะปิ) in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan (also spelled belachan, blachang) in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in Vietnamese (the name depends on the shrimp used),[1] bagoong alamang (also known as bagoong aramang) in Filipino, haam ha/ha jeung in Cantonese Chinese and hom ha/hae ko (POJ: hê-ko) in Min Nan Chinese.

It is made from fermented ground shrimp, sun dried and then cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks. It is not designed, nor customarily used for immediate consumption and has to be fully cooked prior to consumption since it is raw. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in most meals in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dipping sauce for fish or vegetables.

Varieties

Shrimp pastes vary in appearance from pale liquid sauces to solid chocolate-colored blocks. Shrimp paste produced in Hong Kong and Vietnam is typically a light pinkish gray while the type used for Burmese, Laotian, Cambodian and Thai cooking is darker brown. While all shrimp paste has a pungent aroma, that of higher grades is generally milder. Markets near villages producing shrimp paste are the best places to obtain the highest quality product. Shrimp paste varies between different Asian cultures and can vary in smell, texture and saltiness. [6]

Belacan or Terasi

A Malay-Indonesian sauce made with dried shrimp paste and chili pepper Belacan, a Malay variety of shrimp paste, is prepared from krill, also known as geragau in Kristang (Portuguese creole spoken in Malaysia) or rebon in Sundanese and Javanese. In Malaysia, normally the krill would be steamed first and after that are mashed into a paste and stored for several months. The fermented shrimp are then prepared, fried and hard-pressed into cakes.

Belacan is used as an ingredient in many dishes, or eaten on its own with rice. A common preparation is sambal belacan, made by mixing toasted belacan with chilli peppers, minced garlic, shallot paste and sugar and then fried.

Terasi (trassi in Dutch), an Indonesian variant of dried shrimp paste, is usually purchased in dark blocks, but is also sometimes sold ground. The color and aroma of terasi varies depending on which village produced it. The color ranges from soft purple-reddish hue to darkish brown. In Cirebon, a coastal city in West Java, terasi is made from tiny shrimp (krill) called "rebon", the very origin of the city's name. In Sidoarjo, East Java, terasi is made from the mixture of ingredients such as fish, small shrimp (udang), and vegetables. Terasi is an important ingredient in Sambal Terasi, also many other Indonesian cuisine, such as sayur asam (fresh sour vegetable soup), lotek (also called gado-gado, Indonesian style salad in peanut sauce), karedok (similar to lotek, but the vegetables are served raw), and rujak (Indonesian style hot and spicy fruit salad).

Bagoong alamang

Shrimp paste in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental

Bagoong alamang is Filipino for shrimp paste, made from minute shrimp or krill (alamang) and is commonly eaten as a topping on green mangoes or used as a major cooking ingredient. Bagoong paste varies in appearance, flavor, and spiciness depending on the type. Pink and salty bagoong alamang is marketed as "fresh", and is essentially the shrimp-salt mixture left to marinate for a few days. This bagoong is rarely used in this form, save as a topping for unripe mangoes. The paste is customarily sauteed with various condiments, and its flavour can range from salty to spicy-sweet. The colour of the sauce will also vary with the cooking time and the ingredients used in the sauteeing. Cincalok is the Malaysian version of 'fresh' bagoong alamang.

Unlike in other parts of Southeast Asia, where the shrimp are fermented beyond recognition or ground to a smooth consistency, the shrimp in bagoong alamang are readily identifiable, and the sauce itself has a chunky consistency. A small amount of cooked or sauteed bagoong is served on the side of a popular dish called "Kare-kare", an oxtail stew made with peanuts. It is also used as the key flavouring ingredient of a sauteed pork dish, known as Binagoongan (lit. "that to which bagoong is applied"). The word bagoong, however, is also connoted with the bonnet mouth and anchovy fish version, bagoong terong.

Ngapi Yay

A watery dip or condiment that is very popular in Myanmar, especially the Burmese and Karen ethnic groups. The ngapi (either fish or shrimp, but mostly whole fish ngapi is used) is boiled with onions, tomato, garlic, pepper and other spices. The result is a greenish-grey broth-like sauce, which makes its way to every Burmese dining table. Fresh, raw or blanched vegetables and fruits (such as mint, cabbage, tomatoes, green mangoes, green apples, olives, chilli, onions and garlic) are dipped into the ngapi yay and eaten. Sometimes, in less affluent families, ngapi yay forms the main dish, and also the main source of protein.

Hom ha

This Chinese shrimp paste is popular in southeastern China. This shrimp paste is lighter in color than many southeast Asian varieties and is often used in Pork, seafood and vegetable stirfries. The shrimp paste industry has historically been important in the Hong Kong region.[7]

Hae Ko or Petis Udang

Hae Ko means prawn paste in the Hokkien dialect. It is also called Petis Udang in Malay and Indonesian. This version of shrimp/prawn paste is used in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In Indonesia it is particularly popular in East Java. This thick black paste has a molasses like consistency instead of the hard brick like appearance of belacan. It also tastes sweeter because of the added sugar. It is used to flavour common local street foods like popiah spring rolls, laksa curry, chee cheong fan rice rolls and rojak salads,[8] such as rujak cingur and rujak petis.

Industry

A vendor selling shrimp paste

Shrimp paste continues to be made by fishing families in coastal villages. They sell it to vendors, middlemen or distributors who package it for resale to consumers. Shrimp paste is often known for the region it comes from since production techniques and quality vary from village to village. Some coastal regions in Indonesia such as Bagan Siapi-api in North Sumatra, Indramayu and Cirebon in West Java, and Sidoarjo in East Java, as well as villages such as Pulau Betong in Malaysia or Ma Wan island in Hong Kong, Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan in the Philippines are well known for producing very fine quality shrimp paste.

Preparation

Preparation techniques can vary greatly; however, the following procedure is most common in China, and much of Southeast Asia.

After being caught, small shrimp are unloaded, rinsed and drained before being dried. Drying can be done on plastic mats on the ground in the sun, on metal beds on low stilts, or using other methods. After several days, the shrimp-salt mixture will darken and turn into a thick pulp. If the shrimp used to produce the paste were small, it is ready to be served as soon as the individual shrimp have broken-down beyond recognition. If the shrimp are larger, fermentation will take longer and the pulp will be ground to provide a smoother consistency. The fermentation/grinding process is usually repeated several times until the paste fully matures. The paste is then dried and cut into bricks by the villagers to be sold. Dried shrimp paste does not require refrigeration.[2][3][4]

Availability

Trassi udang, as bought in a Dutch supermarket.

Shrimp paste can be found in nations outside Southeast Asia in markets catering to Asian customers. In The Netherlands, Indonesian type of shrimp paste can be found in supermarkets selling Asian foodstuff such as Trassie oedang from the Conimex brand. In the United States brands of Thai shrimp paste such as Pantainorasingh and Tra Chang can be found. Shrimp pastes from other countries are also available in Asian supermarkets and through mail order. It is also readily available in Suriname due to the high concentration of Javanese inhabitants. In Australia shrimp paste can be found in suburbs where most South East Asian people resides. In Europe it can be bought in the supermarket.[5][6]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shrimp paste.

References

  1. ^ http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/318230
  2. ^ Kasma Loha-unchit. Adventures in Thai Cooking & Travel: Shrimp Paste. [1]. Kasma Loha-unchit, 2000.
  3. ^ The Perfect Pantry: Shrimp Paste. [2], 2007.
  4. ^ Streetside Thai Food/Thia Shrimp Paste. [3]. importfood.com, 2008.
  5. ^ Thaitable.com. [4]. Thaitable], 2007.
  6. ^ Nancy Freeman. Indonesian Food, Cuisine'. [5]. Sally's Place].
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