If you ever travel to the southern of Thailand, you will notice that the food is different from other regions. They are bolder, spicier, full of flavor, and have very strong aromatic smell. Which make southern dishes difficult for non-locals to try, their foods are not friendly to foreigners either since southern dishes are much spicier than any other food. But if you would like to try something from southern Thailand Kaeng Kathi Pu Bai Chaplu or Crab curry with coconut milk is a good starting for you in your southern Thai cuisine journey.
Since crabs are easy to find in the southern of Thailand, where their lands directly connect to the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Which is why southern Thailand’s dishes are mostly cooked using seafood as main ingredients. For this dish they use crabs, which have tender and sweet meat combine with yellow curry paste, coconut milk, and herbs to create one of the most famous dishes in southern Thailand. Crab curry with coconut milk is a rich, spicy, aromatic and creamy dish usually served with rice noodles or white rice to help delude the heat of the curry.
The history of Kaeng Kathi Pu Bai Chaplu
In the past southern food was influenced by the trade between India, Malaysia, and Indonesia who brought spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Combine with coconut trees that grow naturally along the coast which later become foundation of local cuisine, softening the heat of chilies and creating the region’s signature creamy curries. Along with seafood from the southern, all these things plus the creativity of the local, they created Kaeng Kathi Pu Bai Chaplu that will later become one of their most famous dishes around the world.
These are the main ingredients used in Kaeng Kathi Pu Bai Chaplu or Crab curry with coconut milk
- Fresh crab (you can use either whole crab or just the crawls)
- Coconut milk
- Turmeric
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Chili
- Shallots
- Palm sugar
- Fish sauce
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Shrimp paste
- Pepper
- Betel Leaf
Next is the cooking process, keep in mind that the recipe can be different since each household has their own recipe for every dish.
- We start by making southern curry paste, put pepper into the mortar and pound until it’s fine. Then add galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, shallots and a pinch of salt in, and start pounding.
- Add shrimp paste and mix until you paste is smooth and fine, after you finish preparing curry paste, we put it to rest.
3. Set the heat to medium and add coconut milk to the pot (we are using coconut cream which can be separated from coconut milk into coconut cream and delude coconut cream) boil until you see bubbles popping then you add curry paste, stir until there mixed.
4. Once your curry paste is dissolved and mixed with coconut milk, you can add water and the rest of coconut milk into the pot.
5. When your curry base is boiled, now you can start adding the season. Add shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, betel leaves, and crab meat into the pot. Stir until the curry is perfectly mixed then when you see that your curry is boiling again you can turn off the heat and it’s ready to serve.
6. Now we gently put the curry into a bowl and top it with drizzle of coconut milk and more fresh betel leaves. Serve it with steamed white rice or rice noodles and maybe some fresh vegetables and you are ready to enjoy the meal.
In a way Crab curry with coconut milk serves as a warm invitation into southern Thai culture.
It represents the generosity of coastal life, the boldness of local spices, and the artistry of balance that defines Thai cooking. So next time you visit Thailand and have some free time off your schedule give southern Thailand a visit and try some of their foods. If you are having trouble eating them because of the spice Kaeng Kathi Pu Bai Chaplu or Crab curry with coconut milk could be a good start and after that you will fall in love with southern Thai cuisine.