Shrimp paste

"Shrimp sauce" redirects here. For the mayo-based sauce, see Yum yum sauce.

Shrimp paste

Shrimp paste at Hop Yick Market in Hong Kong
Alternative names	Prawn sauce Shrimp sauce (non-solid varieties)
Type	Condiment
Place of origin	Continental Southeast Asia
Region or state	Southeast Asia, Southern China
Created by	Cham and Mon people
Main ingredients	shrimp or krill and salt
Cookbook: Shrimp paste   Media: Shrimp paste

Shrimp paste
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	蝦醬
Simplified Chinese	虾酱
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xiājiàng Yue: Cantonese Jyutping haa1zoeng3
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	蝦膎
Simplified Chinese	虾膎
Transcriptions Southern Min Hokkien POJ hê-kê (Taiwanese Hokkien)
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	鹹蝦醬
Simplified Chinese	咸虾酱
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Jyutping haam4haa1zoeng3 (Cantonese)
Burmese name
Burmese	ငါးပိ (nga:pi.)
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	mắm tôm
Hán-Nôm	𩻐𩵽
Thai name
Thai	กะปิ
RTGS	ka-pi
Malay name
Malay	belacan
Indonesian name
Indonesian	terasi
Filipino name
Tagalog	bagoóng alamáng
Lao name
Lao	ກະປິ (kapi)
Khmer name
Khmer	កាពិ (kābi)

Shrimp paste being dried under the sun in Ma Wan, Hong Kong

Shrimp paste, shrimp sauce, or prawn sauce is a fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian and coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. Depending on the regional variations, it is sold either in its wet form or sun-dried, and either cut into blocks or sold in bulk. It is an essential ingredient in many curries, sauces and sambal. Shrimp paste can be found in many meals in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is often an ingredient in dip for fish or vegetables.