Basic Thai Curry Paste Recipes

[tonos10]

I used to eat Thai food every meal of my live from people who lived in Thailand. I have been getting into cooking Thai food again and loving it! I am looking for a paste type dish I used to have. It was eaten with sticky rice and served as one of the side dishes. It was in-itself a side dish. I am not certain what was in it but I do remember it had little cube like chunks of pork fat and was a dark brown-red in color. From what I remember it had a very deep almost earthy, musky taste but it was so long ago I could be way off...I do remember I loved it. It was used more to kind of dip your rice in and eat as such. It was very thick and more like a paste. It may not have been Thai...it could have been Vietnamese, Laos, and maybe Cambodian. I just need to know what it was called and I can learn to make it again. I have been looking for years for this sticky rice paste and cannot find it or anybody who knows what it is. Any help would be grateful in a long search.

[Susana]

Welcome to the forum tonos10. If you were in Thailand when you had this food could you tell us if you were perhaps in Isan or northern Thailand? As you may already know there are many delicious regional dishes, so identifying which part of the country the food originated from might help someone else (who is more knowledgeable than I) identify it.

For now, here is my other most favorite website and blog for Thai recipes which you might enjoy: http://shesimmers.com/

[RickThai]

I just had some chicken Rad Na and beef larb this weekend. It was fantastic. For a US restaurant this place (Woodies Wings and Things in Denver, CO) has the most authentic Thai food I have ever eaten outside of Thailand.

We usually order our Beef Larb extra spicy and the rad na without egg (just our preferences).

RickThai

[Susana]

I don't care for egg in Rad Na either, even though I'm not sure I've ever had it that way.

I planted some Thai basil from seed (www.rareseeds.com) and it's coming up nicely. Can't wait for moo Kaprow.

[emu]

Tonos 10. It may have been " pla ra", or fermented fish. Google images, and see if that's it. Some is wet, some dry.

[Marie]

Tonos 10. It may have been " pla ra", or fermented fish. Google images, and see if that's it. Some is wet, some dry.

If it were me, the first thing I would describe about pla ra is its distinct smell!