Mok Pa

Name: Mok Pa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Laos
Ingredients: 500g white fish fillets, cut into chunks; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 2 stalks lemongrass, finely sliced; 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded; 2 shallots, sliced; 2 chilies, sliced; 1/4 cup dill, chopped; Banana leaves for wrapping; 2 tbsp rice flour or egg (as binder, optional)

4 servings20 min prep30 min cookEasy Laos

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Mok Pa

Story updated September 17, 2026

Mok pa, fish mixed with herbs and pounded chili paste, wrapped in banana leaf, and steamed or grilled, reflects the wider Lao and Isan (northeastern Thai) tradition of "mok" dishes cooked this way, using the Mekong region's abundant river fish. The banana-leaf steaming method predates modern cookware and remains central to Lao home cooking.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

500g white fish fillets, cut into chunks
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 stalks lemongrass, finely sliced
2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
2 chilies, sliced
1/4 cup dill, chopped
Banana leaves for wrapping
2 tbsp rice flour or egg (as binder, optional)

Instructions

1Combine the fish chunks with fish sauce, lemongrass, lime leaves, shallots, and chilies in a bowl.
2Mix thoroughly, mashing the fish slightly to help it bind, adding a little rice flour or egg if needed.
3Fold in the chopped dill.
4Cut banana leaves into squares and soften them briefly over a flame or in hot water to make them pliable.
5Spoon a portion of the fish mixture onto the center of each banana leaf square.
6Fold the leaves over the filling to form a sealed parcel, securing with toothpicks or string.
7Steam the parcels over boiling water for about 25-30 minutes until the fish is fully cooked through.
8Serve the parcels warm, opened at the table, with sticky rice.

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