Steamed curry is a type of Southeast Asian curry that is traditionally cooked by steaming or roasting (on an embers) in banana leaves and served with cooked rice. The curry base is typically made with curry paste, and may also include coconut cream or coconut milk and eggs. A variety of leaves and staple ingredients are often added to the dish.
Etymology In Thai, Ho Mok (, , ) is defined as "a Thai dish consisting of steamed fish or chicken in coconut cream and chili sauce".Haas, Mary Rosamond; Grekoff, George V.; Mendiones, Ruchira C.; Buddhari, Waiwit; Cooke, Joseph R. and Egerod, Soren C. (1964). "ห่อหมก (ห่อ) hɔ̀ɔmòg (hɔ̀ɔ̄)," Thai-English Student's Dictionary. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 577. It is a compound word formed from Tai words Ho and Mok.Ketthet, Boonyong. (1989). Kham thai [Thai words] คำไทย (in Thai). Bangkok: Odiant store Press. p. 63. The word Ho () means "package, things wrapped in packages, to wrap, package" and is a cognate with Northern Thai, Shan, and Kam–Tai languages.Guoyan Zhou and Somsonge Burusphat. (1996). Languages and Cultures of The Kam-Tai (Zhuang-Dong) Group: A Word List (English-Thai version). Nakhon Pathom: Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development Mahidol University. p. 401. The word Mok () means "to cover, conceal, or hide" and is a cognate with Northern Thai, Lao, and Kam–Tai languages.Gedney, William J. (1997). William J. Gedney's Tai Dialect Studies Glossaries, Texts, and Translations. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), The University of Michigan. p. 579. :— "mok1 'to cover, conceal'".Li, Fang Kuei. (1977). "A Handbook of Comparative Tai," University of Hawai'i Press' Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications 1977(15): 75. :— "22. to cover, hide DIS mok --- mɔk".
In Khmer, Haa Mok (, ) is a loanword derived from the Thai "Ho Mok""ហហ្មុក," SEALang.net . ហហ្មុក /haa mok/ [Headley97]. A type of food consisting of chopped meat, chicken, or fish mixed with spices and coconut juice placed in leaves and steamed. ETY: Thai hɔɔmòg. Retrieved 7 February 2025. and is defined as "a type of food consisting of chopped meat, chicken, or fish mixed with spices and coconut juice placed in leaves and steamed".Headley, Richard K; Chhor, Kylin; Kheang, Lim Hak; Lim, Lam Kheng; Chun, Chen; Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages (1977). Cambodian English Dictionary, Volume II: ម-អ Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. p. 1,280. "ហហ្មុក /haa mok/ n. a type of food consisting of chopped meat, chicken, or fish mixed with spices and coconut juice placed in leaves and steamed. (T. hɔ̀ɔmòg.)."
An alternative name for the dish in Khmer is Amok (, , meaning "to steam in banana leaves"Neumann, Caryn E.; Parks, Lori L., and Parks, Joel G. (2023). Global Dishes: Favorite Meals from around the World. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic & Professional. para. 3. ), although Cambodian monk Chuon Nath has discouraged its use in the haa mok entry of his 1967 Khmer Dictionary. From Khmer, the word Amok has entered the Teochew Min in Cambodia.McFarland, Joanna Rose. "Language Contact and Lexical Changes in Khmer and Teochew in Cambodia and Beyond," in Chia, Caroline and Hoogervorst, Tom. (2022). Sinophone Southeast Asia Sinitic Voices Across the Southern Seas. Leiden; Boston, NY: Koninklijke Bril NV. Ibid. p. 113. :— "TABLE 3.3 Breakdown of the Breakdown of the count of speakers using each word (cont.) English gloss amok, Word used '9 a11mɔk5', '2 unknown' Count, generation, gender '4G1F, G2F, 2G2M, 2G3F', 'G1M, G3F'." Ibid. p. 114. :— "Expansive vocabulary would be terms for local dishes like ‘papaya salad’, ‘Cambodian crepe’, ‘prahok’, ‘kralan’, ‘amok’, and ‘lok lak’ that likely did not exist in the language of the historic Teochew settlers in Cambodia. The Khmer word may have been adopted out of necessity and/or convenience. ‘Papaya salad’, ‘Cambodian crepe’, ‘prahok’, ‘amok’, and ‘lok lak’ were strongly attested in the data (by nine or more speakers), and no other words were provided as alternatives to the Khmer loanword." According to Canadian food writers Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, both the word and the technique may have originally been Khmer, while Cambodia-based Australian food writer Phil Lees believes the word Amok may have entered Khmer from Portuguese Amouco, which in turn was derived from the Malay word Amok or Amuk meaning "to go into a destructive frenzy".
History Thailand
Historical evidence suggests that steamed curry, also known as ho mok and ho nueng, has been a part of Thai cuisine since the Ayutthaya and Lan Na periods, as can be seen in the list of food offerings for monks during the Royal Ceremonies of the Twelve Months in the Palace Law of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, as well as in the Twelve Month Traditions () and the Taan Khan Khao Custom () of Lan Na, which both include a steamed curry (ho mok).Phayomyong, Manee (2004). Ekasan wichakan chut Lanna khadi sueksa lamdapthi saam: Praphenii sip song duan Lanna-Thai [Academic papers of Lan Na Studies Vol.3: The Twelve Month Traditions of Lan Na-Thai] เอกสารวิชาการชุดล้านนาคดีศึกษา ลำดับที่ 3: ประเพณีสิบสองเดือนล้านนาไทย (in Thai). (5th ed.). Chiang Mai: Center for the Promotion of Art Culture and Creative Lanna, Chiang Mai University. pp. 86, 206. Sangkhakon, Korawan Chiwasan, and Chinachan, Thitinatda (2003). Khwamsamphan rawang Lan Na-Lan Xang: kaansuksaa priapthiap prapheni sip song duan [The Relations between Lanna-Lan Xang: A Comparative study of the Twelve Month Traditions] ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างล้านนา-ล้านช้าง: การศึกษาเปรียบเทียบประเพณี 12 เดือน (in Thai). Chiang Mai: The Social Research Institute, Chiang Mai University. p. 181. The dish is also an integral part of the traditional exorcism ritual in Lan Na, used during spirit worship ceremonies.Khamchan, Mala (2008). Phi nai Lan Na [Spirit in Lanna: Beliefs, customs, types, and traditions relating to ghosts of Lanna, Northern Thailand] ผีในล้านนา (in Thai). Bangkok: Happy Book Publications. p. 65. The name of Ban Ho Mok Subdistrict has been recorded since the Ayutthaya period,Chutintaranond, Sunait (1996). Ayutthaya: The Portraits of the Living Legends. Bangkok: Plan Motif Publishers. p. 117. The United States Board on Geographical Names (1944). Gazetteer to Maps of Thailand: Compiled under the Supervision of the United States Board on Geographical Names. Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Army Map Service, War Department. p. 30. and it is assumed by Sombat Phlainoi, a Thai National Artist (Literature), that it was a well-known location for making steamed curry (ho mok) during that time.
In the 17th century, the Japanese Chihara Gorohachi's works observed that Siam was a popular destination for foreign merchant ships. Japanese merchants also frequently visited Siam for business purposes.Denoon, Donald; Hudson, Mark; McCormack, Gavan; and Morris-Suzuki, Tessa. (2001). "Contact with the Outside," Multicultural Japan: Paleolithic to Postmodern. New York, NY; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 156–7. Japanese nobleman Yamada Nagamasa brought steamed curry (ho mok) from Siam to Japan when he travelled to Nagasaki in 1624.Chotamara, Lawan. (1993). Moradok Thai [Thai food heritage] มรดกไทย (in Thai). Bangkok: Rachawadi. p. 106 :— "ห่อหมกดูจะมีบทบาทมากกว่าอื่นใดทั้งหมดเลย ขนาดต่างชาติรับเอาไปเป็นอาหารของตนเลยคือ โฮโมดุ นั่นแหละ คุณยุ่นปี่ ญี่ปุ่น พวกยามาดา พระยาเสนาภิมุขรับไปจากเมืองไทยตั้งแต่สมัยกรุงศรีอยุธยาเป็นราชธานีนั่นแน่ะ". There were some restaurants in Osaka, Japan in the past that offered a menu item called homoku, and claimed that it was a dish introduced by Siam hundreds of years ago.Supphalak, Monthian. (1998). Khanom Thai [Thai desserts] ขนมไทย (in Thai). Bangkok: S.T.P. World Media Co., Ltd. p. 70. :— "ส่วนต่างชาติก็รับเอาอาหารไทยไปทําเหมือนกัน ตัวอย่างเช่น โฮโมกุ ก็เอามาจากห่อหมกของไทยนั่นเอง คงจะเป็นพวกญี่ปุ่นที่มาอยู่บ้านเมืองไทยรุ่นยามาดาซึ่งเป็นขุนนางไทยมีบรรดาศักดิ์เป็นออกญา (เท่ากับพระยา) เสนาภิมุข ร้านอาหารบางแห่งในเมืองโอซากามีโฮโมกุขายและอวดว่าเป็นอาหารที่ได้ตํารามาจากเมืองไทยเมื่อหลายร้อยปีมาแล้ว".
A verse in stanza no. 8 of the Thai epic poem Khun Chang Khun Phaen describes steamed curry:
The Thai epic poem Phra Aphai Mani, composed between 1821 and 1845 by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu mentions steamed curry (ho mok) when Phra Aphai Mani performs the funeral ceremony for Thao Suthat:Phrommathattawethi, Malithat. "อาหารการกินในวรรณกรรมเรื่องพระอภัยมณี," The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand 37(2)(April–June 2012): 130–31.
The Phra Malethethai version by Siamese poet Khun Suwan and the Nirat Malethethai by King Mongkut (1851–68), composed during the Rattanakosin Era, mention a town named Ho Mok Sub-district. This sub-district is currently located in Bang Sai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand.Phlainoi, Sombat. (1998). Kraya niyai [The food fiction: Interesting facts about Thai cuisine] กระยานิยาย: เรื่องน่ารู้สารพัดรสจากรอบๆ สํารับ (in Thai). Bangkok: Matichon. pp. 78–80, 108.
Sombat Phlainoi, the Thai National Artist in Literature (2010), has said: Both steamed curry (ho mok) and fish fritter (pla hed) are likely to be ancient Ayutthaya dishes because there is a sub-district called Tambon Hor Mok in Bang Sai District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. We have not yet had the opportunity to investigate the history of steamed curry dishes, but it is tempting to guess that it is probably a renowned place for making steamed curry.
Northern Thai people of Lan Na also refer to the steamed curry dish as ho nueng (),Phayomyong, Manee. (2004). Prapheni sip song dan Lanna Thai [The Twelve Months Tradition of Lanna-Thai] ประเพณีสิบสองเดือนล้านนาไทย (in Thai). Chiang Mai: Center for the Promotion of Art Culture and Creative Lanna (ACCL), Chiang Mai University. pp. 86, 206. and the dish is also used as part of offerings to gods and spirits from the ancient period which is similar to the Canang sari.Phlainoi, Sombat (1998). "Letter to editorials (จดหมายถึงบรรณาธิการ)," Silpa Watthanatam, 19(10): 20.
One Thai dish similar to steamed curry (ho mok) is steamed meat dumplings, known locally as Chan Lon, Chaeng Lon or Chab Lak. This dish can be found in the provinces of Rayong and Chonburi, Thailand. It has a flavor reminiscent of a combination of steamed curry (ho mok) and fried fish cakes (thod man), but it is prepared differently by skewering the dumplings and grilling them until they are dry and then roasting them with coconut milk.