Thai people know how to bring the best out of their ingredients, even from those that in first glance seem helpless. Luckily, it is awful only in its greenish interior. Remove the seeds, soak it in water for 20 minutes and a star is born.
Essential Thai cuisine ingredients
It is thought that gabpi maawn was introduced to Thai cuisine by the Mon people, an ethnic group of Burma.
gabpi maawn is made from the flesh of small fresh water fishes, such as Thai river sprat (ปลาชิว) and Siamese mud carp (ปลาสร้อย). The fishes are sun dried and then finely pounded. They are left to ferment with salt for a minimum of one month.