Hor Mok (ห่อหมก)

The Steamer In A Leaf Cup

ห่อหมก takes its name from the method — ห่อ, to wrap, and หมก, the old way of burying food in the fire to cook it in its own juices. The modern version swaps the embers for a steamer: fish, curry paste and coconut milk, bound with egg into a custard, wrapped in a banana-leaf cup. No flour-heavy cake, no curry soup — a set, savoury mousse that holds its shape and takes a spoon clean.

Two details carry the dish. The knead — Kapook works the minced fish and curry paste by hand until the mix turns sticky, the protein set that gives hor mok its spring. And the cap — every version finishes with head coconut cream, simmered until it splits, spooned over the top for the last minutes of steam. The white cap with its shred of chilli and kaffir lime is the signature of a proper hor mok.

The old way was a clay-pot labour: Pim's introduction remembers hor mok being stirred over the fire for one or two hours until thick. Mahidol's classic from-scratch recipe still kneads for an hour, in one direction only, before the egg goes in. The home versions below take twenty minutes of hands and a steamer — and the difference is barely detectable.

The Recipe (home version, from Kapook)

No cups, no problem: Kapook's own note — if you have no banana-leaf cups, use small bowls or ramekins.

The Method

1. The cabbage. Blanch shredded cabbage in boiling water, shock it in cold, squeeze dry. Squeezed cabbage won't collapse in the steam and leak water into the custard — Kapook's trick against soggy hor mok.
2. The base. Curry paste, beaten egg, sugar and fish sauce — stirred into one mass.
3. The coconut milk. Added in portions and mixed through.
4. The fish. Minced fish in, then knead by hand until the mix turns sticky, working in the rest of the coconut milk gradually. The stickiness is the set.
5. The cups. Line banana-leaf cups with cabbage, then basil. Spoon in 1 tbsp of mix, lay sliced fish on top, cover with more mix.
6. The steam. 20 minutes over vigorously boiling water on medium-high heat.
7. The cream. Mix the ⅓ cup coconut cream with the rice flour and heat until thickened — or microwave 40 seconds, stirring at 20.
8. The cap. Spoon cream over each cup, garnish with sliced long chilli and kaffir lime leaf, steam 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

Where Thai Sources Disagree

How Western Versions Get It Wrong

• Baking it in a dish. Hor mok is steamed, never baked. An oven dries the custard and kills the silkiness the steam gives it.
• Serving it runny. The egg must set the curry into a firm custard. If it pours like soup, it's undercooked or under-kneaded.
• Skimming the cream cap. The split coconut cream on top isn't decoration — it's half the dish's richness and the mark of a proper hor mok.
• Swapping the banana leaf for foil. The leaf steams its own fragrance into the custard and keeps the bottom soft. Foil gives you a baked puck.
• Thickening with a fistful of flour. Flour is a stabiliser here, a teaspoon in the cream — not a batter. Load it up and the custard turns to paste.

UK Ingredient Notes

• Minced fish: pla krai comes frozen in blocks at Thai grocers; Kapook allows mackerel or snakehead, so minced cod or pollock works the same way — or pulse any firm white fillet in a food processor.
• Red curry paste: any Thai-brand tub; Pim's warning applies — bought paste is often pre-salted, so hold back the fish sauce and season after steaming if you're unsure.
• Banana-leaf cups: frozen banana leaves at Thai grocers; or skip them entirely with small ramekins, per Kapook.
• Kaffir lime leaves: fresh or frozen at Thai grocers — the garnish loses half the dish without them.
• Thai basil: the standard supermarket "Thai basil" pack is fine; the southern version sometimes uses bai yor, which is hard to find in the UK — basil is the default.

Sources

This recipe is translated from the following Thai-language sources. Where they disagree, we've said so.