If you want to talk about an all-around Thai ingredient, ‘snakeskin gourami’ or pla salid is one of the first that comes to mind. A simple meal of deep-fried gourami with warm rice, or sticky rice, is already fulfilling. There are also various ways to enjoy the freshwater fish – fried, boiled, spicy salad, curry, or with chilli dip. Let’s get to know this amazing fish better. And, of course, you will be drooling over ingenious gourami creations by celebrated chefs later on.
What makes a snakeskin gourami a notable Thai ingredient?
Freshwater Gourami has been economically important for Thailand. People preserve it by drying or salting it. Gourami is a popular staple because a simple meal of deep-fried gourami with rice and chilli fish sauce is already hearty. You can also turn it into endless delicious menus – appetisers or mains. Several neighbourhoods are known for their quality gourami, but the most famous of them all is Pla Salid Bangbo, or Bangbo Snakeskin Gourami. This local produce is granted Geographical Indications (GI) from the surpassing quality.What’s special about Bangbo gourami fish?
Although gourami can be commonly found in freshwater habitats, Bangbo Gourami is praised as ‘Thailand’s most delicious gourami’. People of Bangbo district in Samut Prakan Province near Bangkok patiently raise the fish for 2 years without a growth booster. The result is fish with a sweet taste, pinkish firm texture, but without muddy odour. Sizes of the fish are appropriate for consumption. Bangbo’s natural farming wisdom results in gourami’s darker skin shade, wrinkly meat, and finer skin and scales whilst fish fed on concentrate are lighter in colour and more limp in texture.The proper preservation technique also contributes to the quality and taste that impress. Bangbo gourami is carefully submerged into brine and rinsed. The unique and meticulous processes earn it the Geographical Indication (GI) certificate, the proof given to products originated from specific locations, where products derive their uniqueness from local wisdom or natural environment such as weather, soil minerals, etc. GI products are specific to their origins and cannot be imitated.
Innovative gourami menus from street to stars
With gourami’s versatility, people can create hundreds of dishes, making it one of Thai kitchen staples. The fish is commonly available at restaurants across Thailand. These are places with mouth-watering gourami dishes featured in MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2023. We cover every range from street food to fine dining.The first recommendation is Coconut Milk Soup with Crispy Gourami and Young Tamarind Leaf from the 2023 Bib Gourmand recipient Kaeng Pa (Loong Sa-Nga). Boneless meat of deep-fried gourami is boiled in coconut milk with young tamarind leaves and tamarind juice. Shallots and bird's eye chilli add both tastes and aroma – balanced sweet and sour. Crave spicy salad? Yam Crispy Leaf Fish from the MICHELIN-listed Supanniga Eating Room (Thong Lo) mixes deep-fried gourami with clear spicy dressing. The fragrance of shallot and lemon grass makes your mouth water before the dish arrives on your table.
From fine-dining establishments, Saneh Jaan (One MICHELIN Star) offers Spicy Shrimp Paste Dip With Baan Laem Crispy Shrimp and Fried Salted Damsel Fish. Fluffy deep-fried gourami is served with flavoursome shrimp paste and a healthy veggie tray. At Aksorn (One MICHELIN Star), try the tangy Crispy Gourami with Red Curry Paste. The gourami is grilled before deep-frying. In one bite, you will appreciate the fish’s smoky aroma alongside beef tenderloin and dried shrimp fried in pork crackling chilli paste, lotus seed, salted duck egg, and finely shredded kaffir lime leaves that gives out a refreshing smell. A part of the tasting menu at Nusara (Recommended), Tom Kha Soup, Gourami Fish, Organic Mushrooms features dry-aged Bangbo gourami, deep-fried until crispy and fluffy, in coconut milk soup. The taste is balanced and unique.
What else to do & see in Samut Prakan?
To discover more about the amazing Bangbo gourami, we’d like to invite you to visit ‘Mae Amnuay Bang Bo Gourami’, the famed gourami producer and seller. The business has been operating for 3 generations. Apart from salted gourami, there are multitude of OTOP fish products such as ready-to-eat gourami and Bangbo gourami chilli paste.Samut Prakan isn’t just famous for its gourami. There are several iconic tourist attractions. Bang Pu Recreation Center has been a Thais' holiday destination for decades. During early winter (November-January), over 5,000 seagulls migrate from the cold weather of Siberia, turning Bang Pu into a beautiful bird watching site. Seafood restaurants are welcoming visitors. Erawan Museum is known for its three-headed elephant sculpture. Priceless antiques are also on display. You don’t want to miss Ancient City, a vast open-air museum exhibiting models of Thailand’s famous architecture and artwork across 1.28 square kilometres. Get blessed at Phra Samut Chedi, Samut Prakan’s precious sacred site since the old days with breath-taking river views. Shop at Bang Phli Floating Market, located next to Bang Phli Yai Temple. Vintage shophouses line up along both sides of the riverbank, reminiscing of lifestyles from 150 years ago. The market becomes livelier during weekends.
Gourami is an amazing product you don’t want to miss. And there are plenty of attractions around Samut Prakan to explore. Although COVID-19 is now categorised as an endemic disease, you should still be on guard. Wear a mask, rinse your hands, and look for SHA certificate (Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration). The project is a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Disease Control, the Department of Health, and the Department of Health Service Support. It guarantees tourism entrepreneur’s compliance with sanitation measures. The certificate reassures every traveller’s health and safety.
Explore more details on SHA at thailandsha.tourismthailand.org. For updates on travel destinations, contact TAT Call Center 1672, or Facebook TAT Contact Center.
