Southeast Asia

Khao Kluk Kapi: Thai Shrimp-Paste Rice with Sweet Pork

Name: Khao Kluk Kapi: Thai Shrimp-Paste Rice with Sweet Pork
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 600 g Cooked and cooled jasmine rice; 2 tbsp (about 30 g) Kapi (fermented shrimp paste); 10 small cloves, or 2 large Garlic; 10 g Dried shrimp; 3 tbsp Water; 1 tsp Sugar; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 300 g Pork shoulder, or thinly sliced pork belly; 6 Small shallots (Thai red shallots or regular); 25 g Palm sugar; 1 tbsp Fish sauce; 1 tsp Dark soy sauce; 120 ml Water; 2 Eggs; 20 g Dried shrimp; 100–120 g Green mango; 60 g Green beans, or yard-long beans; 1/2 Cucumber; 2 Red onion; 1 Lime; 1–3 Fresh chiles

Khao kluk kapi is Thai rice fried with fermented shrimp paste, served with sweet pork, shredded omelet and sour green mango and mixed at the table. How much kapi to use, the Central Thai table and regional differences, substitutes, a recipe for 4, fixes, and storage.

Published: October 22, 2026Total: 1 hr 5 minLevel: Intermediate

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 5

Braise the sweet pork, then glaze it at the end

20 min

Pork reduced in a palm sugar and shallot sauce until glossy — Don't leave too much sauce in the moo waan; reduce until the pork surface shines

Cut 300 g pork into 1.5 cm wide pieces and put them in a pot with 120 ml water, 25 g palm sugar, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat; when the bubbles get large, lower to medium-low and simmer 8 minutes.

Add the 6 small shallots and simmer another 7–10 minutes so the pork cooks through to the center. Stop when the sauce has reduced to the point where it slowly runs across the bottom of the pot and the pork surface is glossy brown. If the pork is still pink in the center but the sauce has reduced, add 50 ml water and keep cooking. To keep the sweetness from turning burnt, run a wooden spatula across the bottom of the pot for the last 2 minutes.

STEP 22 / 5

Pound the kapi, garlic and dried shrimp together

5 min

Kapi, garlic and dried shrimp pounded into a purplish-brown paste in a granite mortar — Loosening the kapi with water before adding it to the rice keeps any one spot from getting too salty

Put 2 tbsp kapi, the garlic roughly chopped into 2–3 mm pieces, and 10 g dried shrimp in a mortar and pound until the coarse bits are nearly gone. Add 3 tbsp water a little at a time to make a paste that falls from a spoon in an unbroken stream. If the kapi is in a hard lump, let it sit 5 minutes before adding water; it will be easier to mash.

This step uses no heat. The smell is strong, so run the range hood, and wash any tools the kapi touched with detergent promptly. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth; small bits of garlic are fine. If your kapi is dark, don't increase the amount; check the saltiness once the rice is fried.

STEP 33 / 5

Prepare the egg and every topping separately

15 min

Thin omelet strips, green mango, red onion, beans, cucumber and dried shrimp prepared separately — Arrange the toppings without mixing their flavors, and combine one bite at a time when eating

Beat 2 eggs and set a lightly oiled frying pan over medium-low heat. Pour in a thin layer of egg, flip just before the top dries and cook 30 seconds, then cut into thin strips. Take it out before the yellow deepens too much so it doesn't compete with the sourness of the other toppings.

Dry-toast the 20 g dried shrimp over medium heat without oil for 1 minute, and remove once fragrant. Put the green mango, red onion, beans and cucumber each on their own plate. Choose a green mango that feels hard when you cut it and whose juice isn't sweet. If you can only find ripe mango, cut a Granny Smith apple into strips and use a little more lime.

STEP 44 / 5

Fry the kapi, then break up the cold rice over high heat

7 min

Cold jasmine rice added to fried kapi paste and broken up — Fry the kapi rice briefly over fairly high heat and stop once the grains separate

Warm a wok or large skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds, then add 2 tbsp oil. Add the kapi paste and 1 tsp sugar and fry for 1–2 minutes. When the color deepens slightly and the smell shifts from a sharp saltiness toward toasted shrimp, add the 600 g cooled rice.

Turn the heat up and, without mashing the rice with the spatula, flip it from the bottom of the pan for 3–4 minutes. It's done when the steam dies down, the grains separate one by one, and the rice turns a light golden brown. If the rice clumps, spread it out and wait 30 seconds before turning. If you smell scorching, don't scrape the bottom; move only the rice on top into another bowl.

If the kapi aroma feels too strong, don't add more kapi here. Adding 50–100 g more rice and serving extra cucumber and green mango keeps the flavor balance intact.

STEP 55 / 5

Mound it in the center and add sourness at the table

5 min

Kapi rice surrounded by separate piles of sweet pork, egg, dried shrimp, green mango and vegetables — Keeping the toppings separate until just before eating lets you adjust sweet, sour and hot with every bite

Mound the kapi rice in the center of a plate and arrange the moo waan, egg, dried shrimp, green mango, red onion, beans, cucumber and chiles separately around it. Don't squeeze the lime yet; leave it within each diner's reach.

Taste the first bite with rice alone to check the salt. Then add a little sweet pork, and on the third bite add green mango and lime. Rather than mixing everything from the start, you find where kapi's aroma is strong and where the vegetables lighten it. If toppings are left over, go ahead and mix it all at the end. Being able to build the flavor on the plate is what makes this dish complete.

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Ingredients

1 / 2

Kapi rice

Ingredient	Amount	Role & how to choose
Cooked and cooled jasmine rice	600 g	Long grains that fry well once chilled. Day-old rice is fine
Kapi (fermented shrimp paste)	2 tbsp (about 30 g)	The core of the saltiness. Strength varies by product, so add more only later
Garlic	10 small cloves, or 2 large	Rounds out kapi's aroma when fried
Dried shrimp	10 g	Savoriness and toastiness. Chop finely or use powdered
Water	3 tbsp	Loosens the kapi so it coats the rice evenly
Sugar	1 tsp	Softens kapi's salty edge a little
Vegetable oil	2 tbsp	For frying the kapi and loosening the rice

2 / 2

Sweet pork and side toppings

Ingredient	Amount	Role & substitutes
Pork shoulder, or thinly sliced pork belly	300 g	The star of moo waan. Cut into 1.5 cm (5/8 in) wide pieces
Small shallots (Thai red shallots or regular)	6	Add aroma to the sweet sauce. Thinly sliced
Palm sugar	25 g	Molasses-like aroma. Light brown sugar also works
Fish sauce	1 tbsp	Seasons the pork. It reduces, so adjust only at the end
Dark soy sauce	1 tsp	Color and a faint sweet aroma. 1/2 tsp tamari also works
Water	120 ml	Softens the pork first, then turns into a glaze (about 1/2 cup)
Eggs	2	Cooked into a thin omelet and cut into strips
Dried shrimp	20 g	Dry-toasted until fragrant. Prepare separately from the kapi-rice portion
Green mango	100–120 g	Firm and sour. If unavailable, use a Granny Smith apple
Green beans, or yard-long beans	60 g	Cut into 5 mm pieces. For Thai long beans, cut into 5 cm lengths
Cucumber	1/2	Juiciness and crunch. Cut into thin strips or batons
Red onion	2	Raw bite. Slice thinly; don't soak too long in water
Lime	1	Squeeze just before eating. Lemon works, though the aroma changes
Fresh chiles	1–3	Each diner adjusts the heat

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Turn on the range hood before the kapi hits the pan: a Central Thai table

Before you fry the rice, switch the range hood to high. The stove isn't even on yet, but the smell of kapi out of its packet is enough to change the air in the kitchen. Behind the salt rises the aroma of fermented shrimp.

Loosen that aroma in oil, add cold rice, and its edge softens. In the middle of the plate sits golden-brown rice. Around it go glossy sweet pork, thin strips of omelet, sour green mango, cucumber, green beans and red chiles. Because nothing is mixed at the start, the salt, sweetness, sourness and heat can change with every bite.

This is khao kluk kapi (ข้าวคลุกกะปิ). Khao means rice, kluk means to mix, and kapi is fermented shrimp paste. The rice itself is fried with kapi, but the final "mixing" happens not in the pan but at the tip of each diner's spoon. Thai recipes describe the standard form as sweet pork, thin omelet, a sour fruit and raw vegetables served separately alongside.

This recipe serves 4. You prepare the sweet pork and toppings first, then quickly fry the kapi rice over fairly high heat at the end. Keeping the kapi restrained and holding on to the sourness and raw vegetables lets that strong aroma settle at the center of the plate.

A Thai table evoking khao kluk kapi, with toppings arranged separately around kapi rice in the center — Khao kluk kapi isn't mixed in the kitchen; each diner combines it bite by bite

Set the flavor axes first

The kapi rice is the base of salt and savoriness. Don't go beyond 2 tbsp at the start.
Plate the sweet pork, sour green mango and hot chiles separately, and adjust bite by bite.
If you're making it just once at home, prioritize the kapi and cold rice over special equipment.
When buying kapi, check the net weight and ingredients on the label, and think first about whether you can use up a large tub.

Why serve the toppings unmixed?

Khao kluk kapi isn't a fried rice tuned to a single flavor. It's a dish that holds, on one plate, kapi's salt and fermented savoriness, the sweet gloss of moo waan (sweet pork), the sourness of green mango, the softness of egg and the juiciness of the vegetables. Mix everything into the rice and it becomes uniform, but the sourness and moisture are lost to the heat. Kept separate, the diner decides each combination: sweet pork over the deep-flavored rice, or green mango and lime to lighten it.

Thai recipe write-ups also lay it out this way: rice, sweet pork, green mango, shallots, long beans, dried shrimp, egg and lime prepared separately and mixed when eaten. SiamKapi's explanation of the dish describes preparing each topping individually and combining them at the table. The number of toppings isn't decoration; it's how kapi's intensity gets adjusted at the table.

Material from Suan Dusit University explains that Central Thai food culture developed from the Ayutthaya period onward under Chinese, Indian and Western influences, with refinement not only in flavor but in presentation. On Central Thai tables you also see jasmine rice served with nam prik kapi, raw vegetables and several side dishes. Raw toppings like green mango, cucumber and shallots aren't garnish; they switch each bite back to freshness between rich sweet pork and salty rice. The university's material on the Central Thai table

A standard hospital recipe from Thailand's Ministry of Public Health also fries kapi in oil, adds rice, combines it with ground pork and carrot, and plates it with shallots, fried Chinese sausage, shredded egg, pineapple and more. Toppings at home and in shops aren't fixed. Here, sweet pork and green mango are the core, because green mango's sourness makes kapi's aroma and the sweet braising sauce easy to take in at any table. Ministry of Public Health standard recipe

We avoid pinning the origin to a single story. Thai Food Guide's description of the dish presents one theory that it developed in the reign of Rama II (early 19th century) through a link to Mon cooking, but we don't treat that as the one confirmed origin. What can be confirmed is its present form: kapi rice laid out with sweet pork, egg and sour toppings on one plate, mixed by whoever eats it. Rather than asserting history, this recipe preserves, in a form you can reproduce in the kitchen, why the toppings are kept apart.

Kapi changes color and aroma by where it's made

Kapi ranges from pale to dark. The Suan Dusit University material explains that kapi from the Andaman Sea side can be lighter because of plankton, while kapi from the Gulf of Thailand side can be closer to a muddy color. It's an example of differences in origin and raw material showing up in appearance. You can't judge quality or saltiness from color alone.

So if your rice doesn't turn brown, that doesn't necessarily mean failure. A pale kapi keeps the rice lighter; a dark one gives strong color even in small amounts. Aroma and saltiness vary by product, so start with the amount given, taste a little of the fried rice, then add more. If you like Thai dishes such as pad kaprao (in Japanese), som tam (in Japanese) or pad thai (in Japanese), where strong seasonings are balanced by toppings and sourness, this serve-separately setup will make sense quickly.

Decide on ingredients and shopping first

Strongly aromatic seasonings tend to end up at the bottom of the ingredient list. In khao kluk kapi, kapi's salt and aroma define the rice. If you buy all the toppings and then add kapi by feel at the end, it's hard to walk back, so settle the amounts and the range of substitutes here. On the other hand, an ordinary skillet, a knife and a small frying pan you already have are plenty. There's no need to buy special tools first.

Ingredients for khao kluk kapi: cooled jasmine rice, kapi, pork, green mango, eggs, dried shrimp and vegetables, seen from above — Even a little kapi forms the flavor base, so gather everything else before deciding the amount

Check the kapi and pork

Kapi, dried shrimp and fish sauce contain shrimp and other seafood. Including eggs and soy-based seasonings, anyone with allergies should check product labels. Don't eat undercooked pork; cook it until hot all the way through, as food-safety guidance advises. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Cook meat thoroughly before eating"

Buying kapi: will you use up a large tub?

Kapi can be hard to find at an ordinary supermarket, and when you do find it, it isn't always in small sizes. If you're trying this dish just once, look for a small pack at a Thai or Asian grocery, or think first about whether you'd use up a large tub. If you'll keep cooking Thai food and want kapi's aroma in som tam and stir-fries too, it's worth keeping a sealed container in the fridge and using it a little at a time.

The deciding question isn't "because it's authentic" but whether you want to avoid replacing the aroma at the dish's center. Fish sauce plus dried shrimp gives you the savoriness of the sea, but not the depth particular to fermented shrimp paste. If you pass on it, make a shrimp-flavored fried rice without kapi rather than treating a substitute as the real thing. Kapi varies in saltiness and aroma even under the same name, so check the ingredients and storage instructions on the label; many tell you to refrigerate after opening.

Will you use a mortar for more than kapi?

Bringing the garlic, kapi and dried shrimp together can be done just by chopping with a knife. But if pieces remain, some bites turn salty and the aroma separates before it coats the rice. If you also plan to make som tam, nam prik or spice dishes, a heavy granite mortar and pestle is useful. For this dish alone, mash everything against the bottom of a sturdy bowl and skip the purchase.

Instructions: sweet pork, then kapi rice, then sourness

Finish the toppings first and fry the rice just before it goes to the table. Cold rice makes it easier to coat each grain with kapi's aroma while keeping them separate. If it's stiff straight from the fridge, break it up by hand before using.

How to tell it worked

The kapi rice is right when the grains are separate, the surface isn't wet, and the aroma has shifted toward toasted shrimp. Stop the moo waan when the pork is cooked to the center and the sauce coats the surface thinly. Plate the raw vegetables before they release water.

When it's too salty, too pungent or not sour enough

If the kapi is too salty, add more fried rice and serve cucumber and green mango alongside. Adding water and simmering makes the rice heavy, so it's not a good way to dilute salt. If the moo waan sauce is watery, take the pork out, reduce just the sauce over medium heat a little, then return the pork. If the moo waan is too sweet, cut the pork smaller and eat it with the raw vegetables. Rather than adding acid directly to the sauce, squeezing lime just before eating is easier to adjust within the plate.

If the green mango isn't sour enough, use half a lime more. Don't mix the chiles into the rice from the start; put them at the edge of the plate so people with different heat tolerances can share the same dish. If you want to mellow kapi's aroma, don't add more sugar to cover it; increase the egg and cucumber instead.

If you substitute, change only one thing

Hard to find	Substitute	What changes
Jasmine rice	Cooled short-grain white rice	Shorter, slightly sticky grains. Spread out to chill and fry in small batches
Green mango	Granny Smith apple	Close in sourness and crunch, but the green aroma is weaker
Thai long beans	Green beans	Slightly different sweetness and texture. Cut into 5 mm pieces
Palm sugar	Light brown sugar	Gives sweetness, but the molasses-like aroma is lighter
Dark soy sauce	A little tamari	Pork color and sweet aroma are more subdued
Kapi	Fish sauce + chopped dried shrimp	Brings sea savoriness, but the depth of fermented shrimp is something else

Kapi is the one ingredient where substituting changes the center of the dish. It's worth seeking out if you want to experience the fermented aroma. If you'd rather not end up with leftover ingredients, skip the kapi and enjoy it as a fish-sauce-flavored fried rice.

You can also add the pineapple or Chinese sausage from the Ministry of Public Health standard recipe. But pineapple is sweeter than green mango, and Chinese sausage adds salt and fat, so adding both from the start makes the whole thing heavy. Keep the green mango and try a small amount, or leave out the green mango and make up the sourness with lime; changing just one element makes the flavor easier to tune.

Store components separately and eat within a day

Put the kapi rice, moo waan, egg and vegetables in separate airtight containers if you can. Don't stack them while hot; refrigerate once they've cooled. Green mango, cucumber and red onion release water easily, so cutting them just before eating keeps them crisp.

Eat refrigerated rice and pork the same day or the next, and reheat until hot all the way through. If you make the pork ahead to use the next day, reheat it in its refrigerated sauce before plating. Don't use cooked rice that has sat at room temperature for a long time; next time, spread it in a shallow container to cool quickly.

FAQ

Is it still khao kluk kapi without kapi?

Kapi is at the heart of the dish's name, so made with fish sauce alone it becomes a different shrimp-flavored fried rice. It works as a dish, but you can't say it reproduces the aroma of fermented shrimp. For a first try, look for a small container of kapi; if you don't plan to keep cooking Thai food, you can decide to skip the large sizes.

What if the kapi smell lingers in the kitchen?

Run the range hood from before you pound the kapi, and keep the frying to 1–2 minutes. Mortars and pans left soaking in plain water hold on to the smell, so wash them promptly with warm water and detergent. Aroma intensity varies by product, so next time start with 1 1/2 tbsp and add more after tasting the rice.

Can I fry freshly cooked rice?

You can, but lots of steam makes the rice clump. Spread it thinly on a tray to let the steam escape, then chill it in the fridge once it has cooled a bit. Don't leave it at room temperature for long; break up the cold rice by hand and don't add too much to the pan at once.

Can I swap the pork for chicken or tofu?

Yes. Cook chicken through in the same sauce; press tofu and let it soak up the sauce. But moo waan's fat and sweet glaze change, so as a plate of khao kluk kapi it becomes a different composition. If you're avoiding kapi and seafood, you'll need plant-based seasonings whose labels you've checked.

Can I make the toppings the day before?

The moo waan, dried shrimp and thin omelet can be made the day before. Store the vegetables uncut, and fry the kapi rice just before eating. When reheating, keep the egg and raw vegetables separate and warm only the sweet pork.

In short: whether to buy kapi depends on your next dish

Khao kluk kapi isn't a dish that ends once you've mixed the toppings into kapi-fried rice. Because the sweet pork, thin egg, green mango and vegetables are kept apart and each diner decides the intensity, a single fermented seasoning doesn't weigh down the plate. The Central Thai sense of combining a staple with side dishes shows in this arrangement too.

If you're making it once, use an ordinary skillet and bowl and look for a small pack of kapi. If you'll keep cooking Thai food, a large tub of kapi and a mortar will earn their place. Whatever you buy, check the net weight, ingredients and what's included rather than just the price.

Sources

SiamKapi「ข้าวคลุกกะปิให้อร่อยครบเครื่อง」 (ingredients, method, serving the toppings separately; accessed and link checked 17 August 2026)
Thai Food Guide「Khao Kluk Kapi」 (composition of the dish, flavor balance, theories on its origin; accessed and link checked 17 August 2026)
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand「คู่มือตำรับอาหารมาตรฐานในโรงพยาบาล」 (standard recipe frying kapi and plating it with rice; accessed and link checked 17 August 2026)
Suan Dusit University「สำรับอาหารไทยภาคกลาง」 (the Central Thai table, regional differences in kapi; accessed and link checked 17 August 2026)
厚生労働省「お肉はよく焼いて食べよう」 (cooking pork thoroughly; accessed and link checked 17 August 2026)

Nutrition information is an estimate based on dividing the amounts above into 4 servings. It varies with the kapi, fish sauce and fat content of the pork you use.