What Is Kapi Seasoning?

Kapi or gkapi is Thai for shrimp paste, according to ThaiFoodandTravel.com. Its basic ingredients are ground fermented shrimp and sea salt. Kapi is a basic seasoning in Southeast Asian cooking.

Making Kapi

• To make the paste, small shrimp are pounded with sea salt, then The mixture is allowed to ferment, after which it is sun-dried on mats, according to CookAsianFood.com. Kapi is added to food and cooked before serving. Curries and dipping sauces are often flavored with kapi.

Characteristics

• The color, smell, texture, and taste of kapi varies by the manufacturer. It usually has a powerful and sometimes unpleasant odor, a color ranging from pink to brown, and a texture that can be pasty to dry. Khapi is usually available in Asian food stores packed in glass jars sealed with wax.

Other Facts

• Kapi is also sold fresh and in dried blocks in Southeast Asian markets. The blocks are more typically used in Thai cooking. Kapi is called terasi in Indonesia, hom ha in southern China, and belacan in Malaysia.