The delicious Khao Kluk Kapi, or Thai Shrimp Paste Fried Rice, is one of Thailand’s most flavorful and underrated dishes that many people outside the country have yet to discover.
In my opinion, it perfectly represents what Thai cuisine is all about—bold, complex flavor bombs where sweet, salty, sour, and spicy all come together in a single bite.
It’s one of my all-time favorite Thai dishes, not just because it’s packed with flavor, but because it gets even better when paired with traditional condiments that add texture, freshness, and balance to every bite.
While Khao Kluk Kapi is fairly common in Thailand, finding a place that makes it truly delicious can be surprisingly difficult. That’s because it’s not just about tossing rice in a pan, it takes time, care, and the right balance of flavors to prepare the condiments and bring everything together just right.
The dish starts with rice stir-fried in shrimp paste, which gives it a rich, umami flavor. But what makes it special is how it's served, with a variety of colorful and flavorful sides.
You’ll usually find it accompanied by caramelized pork, Chinese sausage, shredded green mango, fried dried shrimp, sliced shallots, long beans, fresh cucumber, Thai-style omelet, fresh chilies, and a wedge of lime.
Each condiment brings something unique to the dish, sweetness from the pork and Chinese sausage, sourness from the green mango, and a refreshing crispness from the raw vegetables. When you squeeze on a bit of lime and mix everything together, you get a flavor bomb unlike any other dish you’ve tried. Salty, sweet, sour, and spicy, all in one perfect bite.
It might not be the most well-known Thai dish among foreigners, but once you try it, I think you'll fall in love with it just like I did!
I recommend using a sour green mango for this dish. I used to use any kind of green mango, but it didn’t quite deliver the right balance, the fried rice ended up tasting overly salty.
A sour green mango adds the perfect tang to cut through the richness. That said, if you can’t find one, any firm green mango will still work for its crunchy texture. Just be sure to add extra lime juice to bring in that fresh, tangy kick.
If you're interested in more tasty Thai comfort food, you might want to check out these recipes: Thai Beef Noodle Soup (Guay Tiew Nue Nam Sai) Recipe, Kai Jeow Horapa (Thai Sweet Basil Omelet) Recipe, Thai Iceberg Lettuce Stir-Fry with Oyster Sauce Recipe, and Thai Stir Fried Noodle (Pad See Ew) Recipe
To make this recipe, you are going to need:
- 400 g. Pork belly
- 200 g. Chinese sausage
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of steamed jasmine rice
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup water for calamleized pork
- ¼ cup water for frying chinese sausage
- ½ cup for fried rice
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil for fried rice
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil for omlette
- 100 g. Long bean
- 100 g. Shallot
- 100 g. Bird’s eye chilli
- 200 g. Sour green mango
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Thai Shrimp Paste Fried Rice (Khao Kluk Kapi) Recipe
1 Start by gathering all the essential ingredients you’ll need to make Khao Kluk Kapi.
2 Trim the skin off the pork belly, then slice the meat into 1-inch thick pieces.
3 Place a pan over medium heat and add the chopped pork. Cook until the fat starts to render out. Then, add oyster sauce and soy sauce, stirring to combine for a few minutes until the pork is cooked through. Sprinkle palm sugar over the pork and stir continuously until the sugar melts and the pork turns a rich golden brown.
4 Add about 1 cup of water—just enough to cover the pork. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat.
5 Place a pan over medium heat and add about ¼ cup of boiling water. Chop the Chinese sausage into small bite-sized pieces. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until the water has mostly evaporated and the sausage starts to brown. Flip the pieces to brown the other side, then remove from the heat.
6 Beat the eggs with a fork until frothy. Heat a pan over high heat and add the cooking oil. Pour the eggs into the pan and let them cook undisturbed until the edges turn golden brown. Carefully flip the egg and cook for another minute. Then remove from the heat.
7 Place a pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the shrimp paste and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the paste turns brown and fragrant.
8 Add ½ cup of water and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.
9 Add 2 cups of steamed jasmine rice, then stir to combine until everything is evenly mixed and the rice is well coated.
10 Prepare all the condiments: shred the green mango, slice the shallots, chop the long beans and fresh chilies, slice the omelet into strips, cut fresh lime wedges, and slice the Chinese sausage and caramelized pork.
11 To serve, place the rice in the center of the plate and arrange the condiments neatly around it. Before eating, mix everything together thoroughly. Enjoy!
Other Thai Recipes You Might Like
Here are some of my favorite Thai that I think you might like. For more Thai cuisine, check out my Thai recipe page.
Thai Shrimp Paste Fried Rice (Khao Kluk Kapi) Recipe
The delicious Khao Kluk Kapi, or Thai Shrimp Paste Fried Rice, is one of Thailand’s most flavorful and underrated dishes. It’s something you’ve got to try for yourself, and this recipe will guide you step by step to recreate the perfect Khao Kluk Kapi at home. Follow along and let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
- 400 g. Pork belly
- 200 g. Chinese sausage
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of steamed jasmine rice
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup water for calamleized pork
- ¼ cup water for frying chinese sausage
- ½ cup for fried rice
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil for fried rice
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil for omlette
- 100 g. Long bean
- 100 g. Shallot
- 100 g. Bird’s eye chilli
- 200 g. Sour green mango
Directions
- Start by gathering all the essential ingredients you’ll need to make Khao Kluk Kapi.
- Trim the skin off the pork belly, then slice the meat into 1-inch thick pieces.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add the chopped pork. Cook until the fat starts to render out. Then, add oyster sauce and soy sauce, stirring to combine for a few minutes until the pork is cooked through. Sprinkle palm sugar over the pork and stir continuously until the sugar melts and the pork turns a rich golden brown.
- Add about 1 cup of water—just enough to cover the pork. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat.
- Place a pan over medium heat and add about ¼ cup of boiling water. Chop the Chinese sausage into small bite-sized pieces. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until the water has mostly evaporated and the sausage starts to brown. Flip the pieces to brown the other side, then remove from the heat.
- Beat the eggs with a fork until frothy. Heat a pan over high heat and add the cooking oil. Pour the eggs into the pan and let them cook undisturbed until the edges turn golden brown. Carefully flip the egg and cook for another minute. Then remove from the heat.
- Place a pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the shrimp paste and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the paste turns brown and fragrant.
- Add ½ cup of water and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.
- Add 2 cups of steamed jasmine rice, then stir to combine until everything is evenly mixed and the rice is well coated.
- Prepare all the condiments: shred the green mango, slice the shallots, chop the long beans and fresh chilies, slice the omelet into strips, cut fresh lime wedges, and slice the Chinese sausage and caramelized pork.
- To serve, place the rice in the center of the plate and arrange the condiments neatly around it. Before eating, mix everything together thoroughly. Enjoy!
