Steamed curry

Steamed curry is a type of Southeast Asian curry that is traditionally cooked by steaming or roasting (on an embers) in banana leaves and served with cooked rice. The curry base is typically made with curry paste, and may also include coconut cream or coconut milk and eggs. A variety of leaves and staple ingredients are often added to the dish.
In Thai, ho mok (Thai: ห่อหมก, Thai pronunciation: [hɔ̀ɔmòg], lit. 'bury wrap') is defined as "a Thai dish consisting of steamed fish or chicken in coconut cream and chili sauce." It is a compound word formed from Tai words ho and mok.
In Khmer, haa mok (Khmer: ហហ្មុក, Khmer pronunciation: [hɑ.ˈmok]) is a loanword derived from the Thai ho mok and is defined as "a type of food consisting of chopped meat, chicken, or fish mixed with spices and coconut juice placed in leaves and steamed."
An alternative name for the dish in Khmer is amok (Khmer: អាម៉ុក, Khmer pronunciation: [amŏk], meaning "to steam in banana leaves"), although Cambodian monk Chuon Nath has discouraged its use in the haa mok entry of his 1967 Khmer Dictionary. From Khmer, the word amok has entered the Teochew language in Cambodia. According to Canadian food writers Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, both the word and the technique may have originally been Khmer, while Cambodia-based Australian food writer Phil Lees believes the word amok may have entered Khmer from Portuguese amouco, which in turn was derived from the Malay word amok or amuk meaning "to go into a destructive frenzy."
Evidence suggests that steamed curry, also known as ho mok, has been a part of Thai cuisine since the Ayutthaya period.
In the 17th century, the Japanese Chihara Gorohachi's works observed that Siam was a popular destination for foreign merchant ships. Japanese merchants also frequently visited Siam for business purposes. Japanese nobleman Yamada Nagamasa brought steamed curry (ho mok) from Siam to Japan when he travelled to Nagasaki in 1624. There were some restaurants in Osaka, Japan in the past that offered a menu item called homoku, and claimed that it was a dish introduced by Siam hundreds of years ago.
A verse in stanza no. 8 of the Thai epic poem Khun Chang Khun Phaen describes steamed curry:
The Thai epic poem Phra Aphai Mani, composed between 1821 and 1845 by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu mentions steamed curry (ho mok) when Phra Aphai Mani performs the funeral ceremony for Thao Suthat:
The Phra Malethethai version by Siamese poet Khun Suwan and the Nirat Malethethai by King Mongkut (1851–68), composed during the Rattanakosin Era, mention a town named Ho Mok Sub-district. This sub-district is currently located in Bang Sai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand.
Sombat Phlainoi, the Thai National Artist in Literature (2010), has said:
Northern Thai people of Lan Na also refer to the steamed curry dish as ho nueng (Thai: ห่อนึ่ง, ห่อหนึ้ง), and the dish is also used as part of offerings to gods and spirits from the ancient period which is similar to the Canang sari.
One Thai dish similar to steamed curry (ho mok) is steamed meat dumplings, known locally as chang lon or chab lag. This dish can be found in the provinces of Rayong and Chonburi, Thailand. It has a flavor reminiscent of a combination of steamed curry (ho mok) and fried fish cakes (thod man), but it is prepared differently by skewering the dumplings and grilling them until they are dry and then roasting them with coconut milk.
Steamed curries hold not only a special place in Thai cuisine but also carry significant cultural significance. There are idioms in Thai that revolve around the dish. For instance, the phrase oe-o-ho-mok (Thai: เออออห่อหมก) is used to express agreement or approval. However, there is also a satirical verse, sak-ka-wa-duean-ngai-khai-ho-mok (Thai: สักวาเดือนหงายขายห่อหมก), which uses the term khai ho mok to mock prostitutes of the past who would roam around local casinos and at the Saphan Lek in Bangkok, earning money through sex work. This dish highlights the enduring relationship between the steamed curry dish (ho mok) and the cultural practices in Thai society, dating back to ancient times. The use of aromatic herbs and spices in the dish emphasizes the importance of natural ingredients in Thai cuisine, which is deeply rooted in the country's agricultural heritage.
Steamed curry is a dish that typically includes a curry paste or fish paste as the main ingredient. Along with the paste, a variety of leaves and staple components are added to the dish, such as fish, crab, prawn, bamboo shoots, chicken, snail, tofu, and algae. The specific ingredients used may vary depending on the region, with different Southeast Asian countries having their own unique versions of steamed curry.
There are various types of steamed curry dishes found in different countries, each with their own unique names. Some examples include steamed fish curry.
Cambodian cuisine is known for its use of a flavorful curry paste called kroeung (Khmer: គ្រឿង) for preparing a steamed curry dish.
Steamed curry dishes are a part of Laos cuisine, often prepared by roasting them over hot embers.
Burmese
Dai in Kengtung, Shan State
Shan
Curry paste, also known as prik kaeng (Thai: พริกแกง) in Thai cuisine, is an essential ingredient for preparing steamed curry dishes.