Cooking in
British Columbia
Thai
Phak Boong Fai Daeng Nam Prik Dek — Morning Glory with Fermented Shrimp / ผักบุ้งไฟแดงน้ำพริกเด็ก
A less-known but important dimension of Thai vegetable cooking is the technique of using fermented pastes (kapi, tao jiew, pla raa) as wok-aromatics rather than as finished condiments. When kapi or tao jiew is added to very hot oil at the beginning of a stir-fry (frying the paste before any vegetable contact), it develops a completely different flavour profile than when added to a finished dressing or sauce. The Maillard reactions in the fermented protein compounds create new aromatic molecules. This technique — frying fermented pastes dry in oil before other ingredients — is the foundation of many Central and Southern Thai stir-fry preparations and explains why dishes taste different even when the ingredient list is similar.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
Cook
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
500 g
morning glory (pak boong)
stems and leaves separated, cut into 5 cm lengths
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
kapi (Thai fermented shrimp paste)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
neutral cooking oil
1 tsp
fish sauce
adjusted to taste after frying paste — see method
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Set a wok over the highest available heat until it begins to smoke lightly, so the metal reaches a temperature that will sear rather than stew what goes into it. Add the oil and allow it to come to full temperature — the surface should shimmer and move fluidly across the wok.
2
Add the kapi to the hot oil — this is where the dish lives or dies: the paste must sizzle vigorously and immediately, not steam and not sit inert, so its raw fermented edge is driven off and replaced by a roasted, fragrant depth that carries through the whole dish. Fry the paste, pressing and spreading it against the wok surface, for 30–45 seconds. It is done when it has darkened to a deeper, more uniform colour, smells of the sea with a distinct roasted quality, and the surrounding oil smells fragrant and complex rather than raw and fermented.
3
Add the morning glory stems first and toss immediately so the paste-infused oil coats every piece before the leaves go in, giving the denser stems a head start so nothing is either raw or overcooked when the dish is done. After 20–30 seconds, add the leaves and stir-fry over sustained high heat. The dish is ready when the leaves are just wilted but the stems retain a firm bite — a light crunch when pressed between finger and thumb.
4
Remove from heat and taste before adding any fish sauce, because the kapi will have concentrated in salinity during frying and the dish may need nothing at all. Adjust with fish sauce only as required. The finished dish should be savoury, fragrant with roasted-fermented depth, and carry no raw paste note.
From the canon — Fish sauce — nam pla — is the universal salt of the Thai kitchen. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla): Selection and Use →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Kapi produced from small, hand-packed fermented shrimp from the Gulf of Thailand, aged and dried to a dense, deeply aromatic paste; morning glory cut fresh to order from a market garden the same morning.
02
Estate — Named-region Thai kapi, purchased from a specialist importer; morning glory sourced from an Asian greengrocer with rapid stock turnover.
03
Market — Commercially produced Thai kapi in sealed packaging; morning glory from a well-supplied Asian supermarket, stems firm and leaves unblemished.
04
House — Any available shrimp paste in place of kapi, accepting a less complex fermented-roasted base note; spinach or water spinach as a substitute green if morning glory is unavailable.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The kapi changes from its raw colour to a darker, more uniform shade within 30–45 seconds in the hot oil; the oil around it shifts from clear to fragrant-amber.
◇Sound. The paste sizzles vigorously and continuously from the moment it contacts the oil; any drop to a gentle bubble or a wet steam sound signals insufficient heat.
◇Smell. Properly fried kapi smells of the sea with a roasted, savoury overlay; raw fermented paste odour dissipates entirely. The oil itself becomes aromatic.
◇Touch. Morning glory stems yield a light crunch under pressure at the moment of serving; collapse indicates overcooking.
◇Where it lives or dies. The kapi must hit oil that is hot enough to produce an immediate, vigorous sizzle — paste added to insufficiently hot oil steams rather than fries, and the Maillard development that defines the dish's depth does not occur.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Non-alcoholic
From British Columbia
Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
Americano — Burundi Kayanza (Gatukuza Women Group)
Gatukuza Women Group
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Coffee
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
The working kitchen