Yam Plaa Duk Fuu at Sticky Rice [Pics]

Yam plaa dùk fuu -- or as it is affectionately referred to around here, "exploded catfish salad"-- is a very popular item in Thailand, where its sweet mild flavour and ethereal crunch give it great currency amongst Thais and Westerners alike. Like a number of other Thai yam, it is often eaten alone, as a snack, or taken in combination with various other yam, as a prelude to a more formal meal.








At Sticky Rice, the preparation of this dish involves three distinct assemblies, and in this order:

salad greens - shredded lettuce is combined with shredded carrot, slivered red onion, and slivered mango or green apple.

salad dressing - chopped chile is combined with chopped cilantro, chopped mint, minced garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.

catfish cake - chunks of blanched catfish are worked into a paste with a bit of hot cooking oil, and then deep-fried.

At service, the greens are first topped with the fried fish cake, and then the dressing is poured over it.

One of the distinguishing features of Sticky Rice's technique is the use of new oil each time that the dish is made. The yam has a very clean and true flavour.

Regards,
Erik M.

Sticky Rice
4018 N. Western
773.588.0120
Seven Days

HI,

How would you compare Sticky Rice's and Spoon Thai's versions of Exploded Catfish? This is a dish I cannot always get at Spoon, though I really do enjoy the crunchy textures.

Thanks!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:How would you compare Sticky Rice's and Spoon Thai's versions of Exploded Catfish? This is a dish I cannot always get at Spoon, though I really do enjoy the crunchy textures.

1 - The version above is not nearly as sweet as that of Spoon.

2 - As I intimated (howsoever obliquely) above, Spoon does not use clean oil for each preparation of this dish. Now, some folks may yammer on about frying oil developing "good character" etc., but I am plugging my ears.

3 - If you can believe it, Sticky Rice's fish cake is more light and lacy than that of Spoon. Kritsana only fries the fish once. And, so, part of the trick to getting it to perform properly is the incorporation of hot oil in the blended paste. It partially cooks the fish, and makes "twice-frying" unnecessary. Most of what you have had before has been "twice-fried," I am sure.

NB - At Sticky Rice, I am inclined to order the dressing "on the side," so that it may be added at my own discretion, and at my own pace. The dish can really suffer otherwise; it is that emphemeral.

E.M.