Pla Muek Pad Kai Khem, or Squid with Salted Egg
in Hat Yai, Thailand
Pla muek pad kai khem, or squid with salted egg, is an extremely rich and satisfying Thai seafood dish. Salty, savory, creamy, and very filling, this dish is one of my favorites, but I don't eat it very often because it's also super high in fat and cholesterol. It's more for special occasions or vacation. |
| Pla Muek Pad Kai Khem, or Squid with Salted Egg in Hat Yai, Thailand |
Interestingly enough, I typically don't like salted eggs at all.
If you aren't familiar with kai khem, or salted eggs, let me explain. Fresh eggs, typically duck eggs, are brined in vinegar and preserved in salt before being packed in clay over the course of about a month or so. The end result is exactly what it sounds like: an extremely salty egg. Some recipes then call for a whole boiled salted egg, but most, such as this dish, just use the very creamy and salty yolk. In general, the white is almost unpalatably salty for my taste.
In this dish, however, the salty yolks are grated into an oily sauce, which cuts down on the salt significantly. Rings of squid are then stir-fried right in the salty egg sauce. The dish is served with rice and is topped with green onion and crispy fried garlic. It's super rich and creamy, and very filling. The saltiness of the sauce imparts the squid with the flavors of the sea, although the dish is not only eaten at seafood restaurants. Although it's one of the lesser-known Thai dishes abroad, pla muek pad kai khem can be found in restaurants all across the country.
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