Thursday, June 24, 2010

Ho Mok Pla ห่อหมกปลา Steamed Curried Custard With Fish




You might have seen or eaten this delicious dish served in little pouches made from banana leaves. Yes it is rather easy to replicate ho mok at home especially if you cheat a little. Since I didn't have banana leaves on hand, I decided to steam them in individual rice bowls instead.

Ho mok is often referred to as Thai otak-otak in Malaysia as it does share a lot of similarities with the popular Malaysian snack (northern states version, it is sold as li yu bao 鯉魚包 in Penang ). Use a selection of seafood for an equally delicious ho mok talay.

P.S I will do another post preparing it the proper way soon - with banana leaves pouches and homemade curry paste.



serves 3 to 4 as part of a Thai meal
you'll need;
600 g of white fleshed fish, cubed
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
3 bird chillies, julienne
6 tbs of coconut cream, whipped
6 pakchoy or Chinese cabbage leaves, tender parts only
1/2 cup of Thai basil

for the curried custard;
4 eggs
10 tbs of homemade or shop bough red curry paste
12 tbs of coconut milk
4 tbs of fish sauce
6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
3 tbs of palm sugar
4 tbs of corn flour



Place all custard ingredients in a food processor and blend til well combined.



Line bowls or ramekins with pakchoy leaves then add in Thai basil and fish pieces. You can of course use a large bowl for this.



Pour the custard mixture over. Use a spoon to make sure fish pieces are well coated with the mixture.



Steam for 30 minute on very gentle heat (you will end up with tough custard and fish with rapid boil)



Spoon 2 tbs of whipped coconut cream and scatter some julienne kaffir lime leaves and chillies over.



Serve immediately as part of a Thai meal.



Tender juicy fish coated with fragrant soft curried custard. Aroy mak!

41 comments:

  1. เช่นห่อหมกปลา t มากมาก :)

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  2. hi tummy..you're a really talented n creative cook ..otak2 ni menjadi kegemaran makcik..
    nampak sedap..ini makcik mesti cuba..thanks for sharing

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  3. Hey...this dish does indeed looks like my version of otak-otak:D Yours has got more fish! Will try it one day when I have an urge to eat otak-otak again. THanks!

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  4. Hello xD

    I just started following your blog.And I must say you're so talented and your food looks so yummy :D

    I have to try some of your recipes out.Thank you for posting them ^^

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  5. We made the chicken with roasted chilli paste and it was awsome!
    This looks like a wonderful dish to try next!

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  6. Hi tummy!! respect kat u sbb mcm2 u boleh masak! ;-) skrg pun i mmg suke thai food, aroma coriander, basil n kaffir lime leaves buat masakan semakin sedap! masuk list juga menu ni, rugi kalau tak try.. :-) thanks again!

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  7. Hi Tummy...Makcik selalu guna daun kunyit untuk botok-botok sebab baunya sangat wangi.Otak-otak selalunya guna daun kelapa atau daun pisang.

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  8. i love your cooking! wish my spouse can cook as well as you guys lol....hope he doesnt read this haha

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  9. I have neven seen this at my local Thai. This looks good and I can't wait for the proper version too!

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  10. muu ,
    ขอบคุณมาก!

    mohdandmeriam ,
    terima kasih makcik! Ini begitu mudah sekali ;)

    Jeannie ,
    Oh please do I am going to try making otak-otak when I have my malaysian week next.

    MuffinEater,
    Thank you very much for your kind words and following my blog.
    Do let me know if you do ;)

    darren,
    I am glad the dish turned out well..
    Thanks!

    ijayuji ,
    Oh terima kasih banyak-banyak. Memang suka cuba apa-apa jua makanan. Ibu saya Thai jadi banyaklah resipi Thai yang pernah saya cubai.

    makcikmanggis,
    Oh susah nak cari daun kunyit disini. Saya pun baru menanam 2 pohon kunyit. Waktu pohon tu dah matang saya pasti akan cuba dengan daun kunyit.

    Ann,
    Thank you very much! haha get him to follow recipe :) I have step by step instructions here.

    rosa,
    Oh not many of them offer this dish which is a shame.
    Coming soon!

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  11. Ho Mok! but haven't cooked at home. I can survive the summer heat with lots of ingredients in it. Looks so yum!!

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  12. Why am I feeling hungry at 11.30pm lol
    This is one of our favourites and now I am able to try making it at home.. Looking forward to the non cheat version!

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  13. oh Yum! It has been awhile since I made otak! You have inspired me to do it again.

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  14. This is new to me buddy. A seafood version sounds good too! Creamy curried custard bring it on!

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  15. 很有新鮮感呀!用香蕉葉會更香吧?

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  16. Wow this looks wonderful. I always learn so much from you! I want to try this one too!

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  17. You always have great dishes! This looks great and I bet it is delicious!

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  18. Never heard of this....sounds great!

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  19. Wow! This dish looks amazing ... can't wait to give it a try. Thanks!

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  20. Rich and creamy custard,love the flavor of kaffir leaves and coconut :D

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  21. Yes I tried this before but never know how to make this. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe ;)

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  22. I love this creation of yours.

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  23. Love this but prefer not to have the coconut topping. Waiting for the proper version!

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  24. This sounds absolutely wonderful. You always serve such interesting food. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  25. This looks amazing. I've never made a baked curry dish. Will have to try!

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  26. Very new dish, looks absolutely delicious..

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  27. Fantastic Dish! I have my curry ingredients in my pantry, i can't wait to make this. love the steaming method, so healthy.
    Here is on of my steaming dish:
    http://cookng.blogspot.com/2010/06/steamed-chicken-with-bitter-melon-and.html
    thank you !
    Lisa

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  28. I remember eating Thai otak in a Thai restaurant back home. I am hungry now and lunch is 3 hours away!

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  29. What an interesting dish this is! I can't wait to try what it tastes like.

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  30. It really is an education reading your blog - I'd never seen or would've imagined a dish like this !

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  31. Wow, curried custard?! Very interesting!

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  32. Yum, yum, yum, and great idea to steam in the bowls. Quite chuffed with myself as I have actually made this dish but only once because Mr. Kitche Hand doesn't like custard textures *sigh* NExt time I'll get someone else to cook it for me - ahem.

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  33. How could miss this one!
    Sounds and looks so interesting a yummy dish!
    You rock!
    ~B xx

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  34. Gosh, I love this! They sell it here in a restaurant near my place, they call it Fish Amok and it's a freaking AUD18 for entree size!!!! I'll make this at home. Can you tell me if I could replace the vege with banana leaves and use it to line the bowl and steam it like that? I have banana leaves!

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  35. Hey tummies :) i've once eaten a vietnamese version of this dish.. Perchance u guys hv come across it too? If so appreciate d name of the dish :D thnx.. eyeknee

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  36. I am sorry I dont know a Vietnamese version but there is however a Cambodian version named amok. Considering the recent history between the 2 countries, it could actually be amok that u had tried?

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  37. Thnx guys.. It probably is.. ;D ate it like 3-4years ago.. eyeknee

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  38. I suggest using Noni leaves instead of cabbage to make it "truly" Thai hor mok dish.

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  39. 3 Studies PROVE How Coconut Oil Kills Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you literally burn fat by eating Coconut Fats (including coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from large medical magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world around!

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