Yam Plaa Salid at Sticky Rice [Pics]

Trichogaster pectoralis is a freshwater fish species that is native to the low-oxygen aquatic environments of Southeast Asia. Particularly abundant in Thailand, where it is known as plaa salìd, this species of fish is an important source of nutrition as well as income in many rural areas.* Because this fish is relatively small, with very delicate and mild flesh, it is usually salted and semi-dried before sale.

In the Thai kitchen there are a number of different uses for plaa salìd, but perhaps none is more popular than yam plaa salìd: a green mango “salad” which prominently features crisply-fried pieces of the delicate filet meat. Crisp and light, with plenty of spicy, salty flavour, yam plaa salìd makes for an excellent summertime refresher, especially when it is accompanied by a cold lager beer.





yam plaa salìd**

At Sticky Rice, the ingredients for this salad include crisply-fried pieces of plaa salìd, shredded carrot, shredded green apple***, slivered red onion, chopped cilantro, chopped scallion, and whole mint leaves. At service, these ingredients are combined with a dressing made from chopped chile, chopped garlic, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice.

Regards,
Erik M.

Sticky Rice
4018 N. Western
773.588.0120
Seven Days


* The foreign freshwater aquarium market accounts for a portion of the income derived from the culture and harvest of Trichogaster pectoralis.

** This item can be found on my translation of the Sticky Rice Thai Language menu, and where I have used the alternate transliteration, "yam plaa salìit."

*** Here in the U.S., where green mango is not always available and/or of sufficient quality, Thai restaurants often use green apple in its stead.

For the dish above, Kritsana purchases ready-fried plaa salìd from Thai Grocery.*

Salted and semi-dried plaa salìd is available at Thailand Food Corp. in the freezer case, and where it is labeled, "salted gourami fish," or plaa salìd tàet dìaw in Thai.


frozen plaa salìd tàet dìaw from Thailand Food Corp.

E.M.

Thai Grocery
5014 N. Broadway
773.561.5345

Thailand Food Corp.
4821 N. Broadway
773.728.1199


* According to Kritsana, the fish is processed in California. While I can not be certain of this fact, I nevertheless imagine it to mean that salted and semi-dried plaa salìd from Thailand is processed (fried and repackaged) in California.