23/10/2026
Hate It, Or Love It — There’s No In Between!
Across South East Asia, fermented shrimp paste has been a kitchen cornerstone for centuries — warm coastal waters, an abundance of tiny shrimp, and the age-old need to preserve the catch long before refrigeration all led fishing communities to the same brilliant solution: salt it, ferment it, and bottle up pure concentrated umami. 🦐 Travel from Thailand to Vietnam to Indonesia, though, and the paste itself changes dramatically — pale and delicate in one country, deep, dark and pungent in another, sweetened with palm sugar elsewhere. One thing never changes: it’s the kind of ingredient people either adore instantly or need a little convincing on — genuinely no middle ground here.
Fresh off the boat (quite literally) is our brand new HON-ME, a traditional Vietnamese fermented shrimp paste from Thanh Hóa province — intensely funky, deeply savoury, and not for the faint-hearted. 🥗 Traditionally whisked with lime juice, sugar and chilli as a dip for Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm, it also works brilliantly in a Western kitchen: stir a teaspoon into a punchy dressing with lime, garlic, chilli and a touch of honey, then drizzle generously over a crunchy slaw or char-grilled greens for an instant umami upgrade.
Next up, PANTAI Shrimp Paste (Kapi) from Thailand, a moist, pale pink paste that forms the backbone of countless Thai dishes. 🍚 It’s traditionally pounded into fiery Nam Prik chilli dips or stirred straight through fried rice, but for an easy weeknight win, melt a small spoonful into your stir-fry sauce alongside garlic, chilli and a squeeze of lime — instant restaurant-style depth in your next wok of noodles or vegetables.
MAE PRANOM Shrimp Paste is another beloved Thai classic, neatly tub-packed and ready for everything from Tom Yum paste to fiery dipping sauces. 🔥 A popular trick for the barbecue season: blend a touch into a homemade paste with garlic, lemongrass and lime leaves, then use
