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Prahok substitute

Best substitute

Pla ra or Lao padaek

Use the same amount then taste for salt as the prahok you are replacing

Best for prahok ktis

Close match

Prahok is doing three jobs at once: salt, deep fermented umami, and a coarse paste body that thickens whatever it is stirred into. The closest single swap is Thai pla ra or Lao padaek at roughly 1:1. From a regular supermarket, use 2 teaspoons of anchovy paste plus 1 teaspoon of fish sauce for each tablespoon of prahok. Plain fish sauce will do at 2 teaspoons per tablespoon, but it is thin, so a prahok dip made with it comes out watery unless you add a mashed sardine or a teaspoon of ground toasted rice to put the body back.

Other prahok substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Prahok with ratios

  1. 2Anchovy paste + fish sauce

    Different taste

    Use 2 teaspoons anchovy paste + 1 teaspoon fish sauce for every 1 tablespoon prahok

    Mash them together into a smooth paste before adding to the pan.

    What changes

    The anchovy paste covers the body and the oily fish depth, the fish sauce covers the salty ferment.

    Best for
    prahok ktis, stir-fried greens, marinades, soups

    This is the practical answer for most Western kitchens and it genuinely works. The gap is aroma: anchovy paste is straightforwardly salty and fishy, where prahok has a barnyard pungency behind it. A prahok ktis made this way tastes like a very good anchovy and pork dip rather than the real article, which is not a bad place to land.

  2. 3Toasted shrimp paste (kapi or mam tom)

    Different taste

    Use 2 teaspoons toasted shrimp paste for every 1 tablespoon prahok

    Toast it wrapped in foil in a dry pan for a minute a side first, then mash it in.

    What changes

    Untoasted shrimp paste tastes sour and raw in Khmer dishes.

    Best for
    kroeung pastes, curries, stir-fries, dips

    Pungency arrives in full, which is the main thing. But it arrives from shrimp, so the dish tastes sweeter and more perfumed and less mineral and fishy. Shrimp paste is also stronger by volume than prahok, so start with half and build up rather than matching spoon for spoon.

  3. 4Mashed oil-packed sardines or salted anchovy fillets

    Different taste

    Use 1 tablespoon mashed sardine + ¼ teaspoon salt for every 1 tablespoon prahok

    Mash the fish to a paste with the back of a spoon, salt included, then fry it in the oil at the start of the dish until it breaks down.

    What changes
    Best for
    prahok ktis, braises, vegetable stir-fries

    This gets the two structural things right: real fish flesh, and a thick paste that clings to pork or vegetables. What is entirely absent is fermentation, so the flavor is clean and oily instead of aged and funky. Half a teaspoon of fish sauce alongside closes maybe half the gap.

  4. 5Fish sauce alone

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 2 teaspoons fish sauce for every 1 tablespoon prahok

    The last resort, and the one nearly everyone ends up using.

    What changes

    Use less than the prahok volume because bottled fish sauce carries more salt per spoon.

    Best for
    soups, stir-fries, marinades, weeknight cooking

    Salt and savoriness are covered, and nothing else is. In a soup you will barely notice, because the broth provides the body. In a dip or a paste you will notice immediately, because the mixture stays loose and thin. Stir in a teaspoon of ground toasted rice or a mashed sardine to fix the consistency.

  5. 6Red miso + soy sauce, with no fermented fish

    Different taste

    Use 2 teaspoons red miso + ½ teaspoon soy sauce for every 1 tablespoon prahok

    For vegetarian cooking or for anyone who simply will not have fermented fish in the house.

    What changes

    Whisk with a teaspoon of water and add early so it cooks into the dish.

    Best for
    vegetarian versions, soups, braises

    Honest assessment: this is the least accurate option here. It brings salt, thickness and a long fermented finish, and none of the marine funk that defines prahok, so the dish tastes savory and Japanese-leaning rather than Khmer. Crumbled toasted nori or a pinch of kelp powder nudges it toward the sea.

What is Prahok?

Prahok is Prahok, also written pra hok and sold as Cambodian fermented fish paste, is crushed and salted freshwater fish fermented for months into a thick grey-brown paste with a famously powerful aroma, used by the spoonful as the salt and savory backbone of Khmer cooking.

Cooking tips

  • Prahok is nearly always cooked, not stirred in raw. Frying it in oil at the start of a dish, or simmering it and straining the liquid, tames the aroma dramatically and turns the funk into savory depth. Do the same with any substitute and it will taste far more correct.
  • Prahok is very salty by volume. Whenever you swap, add two thirds of the amount, taste, and adjust at the end. It is much easier to add salt than to rescue an over-salted kroeung.
  • In prahok ktis the paste has to be thick enough to cling to pork and to dip raw vegetables into. If your substitute is a thin liquid, thicken the dish with a teaspoon of ground toasted rice or an extra spoonful of coconut cream reduced down.
  • Lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and kaffir lime in the kroeung do more of the heavy lifting in Khmer flavor than most people realize. Getting those right matters more than matching the prahok exactly.
  • Never adjust the salt or acid in a tested fermenting, pickling, curing or canning recipe by swapping prahok in or out. Altering salt and acid in preserved foods creates a genuine botulism risk, so follow the tested recipe and NCHFP guidance exactly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave prahok out?

In a soup or curry, yes, if you replace the salt and savoriness with fish sauce, or salt plus a little anchovy paste, and accept that the dish will taste noticeably milder and rounder. In prahok ktis, the dip literally named after it, leaving it out means making a different dish, so use pla ra or anchovy paste instead.

Is prahok the same as shrimp paste?

No. Prahok is fermented freshwater fish: coarse, mineral and fishy. Shrimp paste, whether Thai kapi or Vietnamese mam tom, is fermented shrimp, which is sweeter, more perfumed and stronger by volume. Shrimp paste can stand in for prahok, but use about two thirds as much and toast it first.

How strong is prahok compared to fish sauce?

Considerably stronger in aroma and far thicker in body, though the two are similar in saltiness once you account for volume. The important difference is that fish sauce is a strained liquid seasoning while prahok is the whole fermented mash, so prahok also thickens and adds texture.

Where can I buy prahok?

Cambodian and some Vietnamese or Lao grocers, usually in a sealed jar in the condiment section. If your area has none, Thai pla ra or Lao padaek from a Thai grocer is the closest thing you can buy, and Filipino bagoong isda is the next step out.

Does prahok smell as strong as people say?

The raw paste is genuinely pungent, and that is normal rather than a sign of spoilage. Once it is fried in oil or simmered into a dish, the aroma settles into something deeply savory. If the smell in your kitchen is the issue, cook with a window open and use the fry-first method.

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