Thai shrimp paste: kapi, uses and substitutes
Kapi is Thai fermented shrimp paste. See how it's used in curry pastes, nam prik kapi chili dip and khao kluk kapi fried rice, and what's known about substitutes.
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The short answer
Kapi (กะปิ) is the Thai name for shrimp paste, a fermented seasoning that Thai cooking treats as a fundamental ingredient. It goes into curry pastes, stir-fries and chili pastes. Two dishes are named after it: nam prik kapi, a chili dip built on shrimp paste, and khao kluk kapi, which is rice fried with shrimp paste.
How kapi is used in Thai cooking
- Curry pastes: the fermented style of Thai shrimp paste is the kind used to make curry paste.
- Chili pastes and dips: nam prik kapi is a shrimp paste chili dip. English-language recipes sometimes call it shrimp paste chilli sauce.
- Stir-fries: shrimp paste appears among the seasonings for Thai stir-fried dishes.
- Fried rice: khao kluk kapi is fried rice with shrimp paste. Shrimp paste fried rice also appears as a standalone recipe in Thai home-cooking videos.
Thai names to know
| Name | Thai script | Plain-English meaning |
| Kapi | กะปิ | Thai shrimp paste |
| Nam prik kapi | น้ำพริกกะปิ | Shrimp paste chili dip |
| Khao kluk kapi | — | Fried rice with shrimp paste |
Not every shrimp paste is kapi
"Shrimp paste" covers more than one product. One cooking discussion separates the fermented Thai paste used for curry pastes from a milder Thai kind. The same discussion notes that shrimp paste is also used outside Thai cooking, for example in making kimchi. If a recipe asks specifically for Thai shrimp paste, look for a product labeled as Thai or as kapi.
The sources behind this guide don't describe the milder style in detail. They also don't cover the fresh shrimp paste served in hotpot. This guide therefore can't confirm how either one differs from kapi in texture, flavor or use.
Substitutes
The available sources don't document a tested substitute for kapi, so this guide doesn't recommend a specific swap. Kapi is a seasoning in curry pastes and the namesake ingredient in nam prik kapi and khao kluk kapi. Replacing it or leaving it out will change those dishes, and the dip and the fried rice will be affected most.
What this guide doesn't cover
The evidence used here doesn't explain how kapi is made, what kind of shrimp it starts from, how to store it, or whether it needs any preparation before cooking. For those details, use a complete Thai cookbook or a full recipe source.
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