"Pla Ra Khao" - Spicy and Delicious 👍

.. I want to tell you that the menu from our home that we can't live without is....

🍲 "Pla ra khuk khao"
It's an Isan menu that uses pla raek or pla ra as the main heart. The taste is spicy, salty, and intense. Eat it with hot rice and fresh vegetables. It's the delicious identity of home-style Isan food. It's truly a local menu. We people of Nong Chim are very familiar with it. Believe me, every household must have it!

🐟 What is pla raek (pla ra)? 🐟

Pla raek, or what is called in standard Thai as pla ra, is fish that is fermented with salt and roasted rice or rice bran to preserve the food and create a mellow flavor. It ranges from medium-sized fish to small fish. The word "raek" comes from the word "laek," which means chopping fish into pieces so that salt and roasted rice can penetrate the fish meat, making the fermentation complete and giving a strong flavor.

There are many types of pla ra, such as pla ra khao khua (soft meat, deep yellow color, fragrant smell) and pla ra ram (firmer meat, dark color, strong smell).

🍲 The traditional boiled pla ra recipe uses homemade pla ra that has been well fermented, not too pungent in smell, and uses herbs to neutralize the odor while adding fragrance in perfect balance.

🌱 Popularity in our Isan culture
Pla raek is used as a main seasoning in Isan food, such as jaew, som tam, laab, mok, or khao khuk nam prik pla ra. It's an important ingredient that gives a spicy, savory taste and is an indispensable identity of the Isan kitchen.

🌱 Many rural families ferment pla ra for their own consumption throughout the year, making pla raek a local staple food along with sticky rice and fresh vegetables.

Rice-mixing menu with pla raek
Khao khuk nam prik pla ra: Use hot cooked rice mixed with nam prik pla ra that is pounded with chili, garlic, and seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar. Serve with fresh vegetables such as cucumber, long beans, cabbage, tamarind seeds, or add fish, snakehead fish roe, sprinkle with ground dried chili, add seasoning powder - delicious!

🍲 Tom raek pla duk khuk khao: Boil fresh catfish with Thai herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fresh chili, and pla ra. Add eggplant for a mellow flavor. Boil until soft and mix with hot rice. An extremely spicy and savory menu - absolutely delicious!

💚 Benefits and charm 💚
These recipes, besides being delicious, also have nutritional value from protein in fish, minerals, and vitamins from accompanying vegetables. In addition, using pla raek also reflects the food preservation wisdom of Isan people, which helps fish to be stored for consumption throughout the year and creates a flavor identity that represents home-style food culture.

🌱 For those interested in pla ra khuk khao, these dishes can be made easily and quickly. Even beginners can learn local recipes comfortably. Thank you very much 🙏