Gung Pad Makam
Serves 2 Cooks in 20 minutes Difficulty EASY
This delicious dish came about through a special request from one of my lovely students here at my Khao Lak Thai cooking class! You know, even though I have quite an extensive menu, I always love when guests ask me to cook something that isn’t on my regular list. It keeps things exciting for me and means I get to share even more authentic Thai recipes with you.
This particular guest had tried Shrimp in Tamarind Sauce at my sister’s restaurant, Be Friend, down at Bangsak Beach. She loved it so much that she asked if we could make it in class. Of course, I said yes! Now, I have to be careful here – my sister’s restaurant makes excellent food, they really do. But I have to say, after we cooked this dish together in class, my student told me it was even better than the one she had at Be Friend! Don’t tell my sister I said that though 😂
Gung Pad Makam, as we call it in Thailand, is one of those wonderful Thai dishes that perfectly balances sweet, sour, and savoury flavours all at once. The tamarind paste gives it that distinctive tangy, slightly sour taste that’s so important in Thai cuisine. You probably know tamarind from Pad Thai – it’s one of the key ingredients I use in my famous Pad Thai recipe here at my cooking class. But in this dish, the tamarind really takes centre stage.
What I love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. From start to finish, you can have this on the table in about 20 minutes. It’s perfect for when you want to cook something special but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. The shrimp stay tender and juicy, the sauce is glossy and flavourful, and those crispy fried shallots on top? Absolutely delicious!
The ingredients are quite simple and you should be able to find everything at a decent Asian supermarket. Try to get large shrimp if you can – they work best for this dish. You’ll need tamarind sauce, some essential Thai sauces, shallots, coriander, and chillies. That’s it!
I usually serve this with steamed jasmine rice, but I’ve also seen people thread the shrimp onto wooden skewers after cooking and serve them at barbecues. They make a fantastic Thai addition to any outdoor meal.
This is exactly the kind of authentic Thai home cooking that I’m passionate about sharing. When you make this at home, you’re cooking the same way Thai families have been cooking for generations. And if your favourite Thai dish isn’t on my menu at my Khao Lak cooking class, please don’t hesitate to ask! Just like this guest did with the Shrimp in Tamarind Sauce, your request might become the next recipe I share with everyone.
Please try making this at home and let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it as much as my student did – and maybe even more than the version at my sister’s restaurant 😊
Ingredients
- 6 – 10 shrimps
- 5 shallots finely sliced
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs of coriander, the roots chopped and the leaves separated.
- 5 dried chillies, chopped
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 tbsp tamarind sauce
- 1 – 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp chicken stock
- 2 tbsp water
Method
- Smash the garlic and the coriander roots in a pestle and mortar.
- Heat some oil in a wok and fry the shallots until they are a little crispy and golden in colour. Add some salt during frying. Remove the shallots, drain off any excess oil and leave to one side.
- Keeping the hot oil in the wok, reduce the heat and fry the shrimp for a couple of minutes until cooked. Remove the shrimp, drain off any excess oil and leave to one side.
- Retaining a little of the oil in wok, turn up the heat and quickly fry the garlic and coriander root. Add the fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, stock and water, mixing all the ingredients.
- Finally add the shrimp, 1/2 of the shallots and the spring onion. Give everything a good stir to mix and remove from the heat.
To Serve
Serve on a plate, top with coriander leaves and the remaining shallots. Sprinkle on some for the dried chilli to taste and eat with steamed Jasmine rice.
Hope you enjoy my Gung Pad Makam, it is really quick and easy to make. Khop Khun Ka from Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.