Fish maw
Krapopla (Thai: กระเพาะปลา) is a Thai soup dish that uses fish swim bladder as its main ingredient and is thickened heavily with starch, widely served in Thailand, especially at street stalls and eateries in Bangkok. It is characterized by a peppery aroma and a soy sauce–based salty flavor, and is regarded as a dish that took root as Thai street food while being influenced by Chinese soup traditions among the Thai-Chinese community. In Bangkok’s Tha Din Daeng area, it is served in portable containers at places such as เจ๊ต่อ ท่าดินแดง 16 and is eaten for a wide range of occasions from snacks to full meals.
- Taste Rating
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Packed with bamboo shoots, blood jelly, quail eggs, thin noodles, cilantro, fish maw, and more. You eat it almost as if washing it down with a thick, salty, starchy gravy-like soup. The cilantro is a nice accent. The fish maw is so fluffy you can’t even tell it’s fish.
- Price
- 60 Baht
- Meal Date
- 12/30/2025
- Food Travel Log
- On the very local-feeling Thadin Daeng Street in Thailand, I discovered a dish called “Krapopura”!
It’s a thick, glossy, gravy-style soup made with fish maw. It’s rich and silky, with lots of toppings like cilantro, bamboo shoots, thin noodles, and quail eggs. I kept gulping down the savory, umami-packed broth. The fish maw had a bouncy, jiggly texture. It was so good that even after finishing, my hands were still trembling.
AI Gourmet Analysis
Overview
Krapop Pla (Thai: กระเพาะปลา; approximate pronunciation: krapo pla) is a thickened soup dish whose principal ingredient is fish swim bladder (known in English as “fish maw,” and corresponding to Chinese 魚肚／鱼肚). It is widely found at Thai street stalls and casual eateries, and is characterized by the aroma of pepper, a soy-sauce-based saltiness, and a dense viscosity created by starch. While established as a Thai dish, its ingredients and methods are often noted as having been influenced by Chinese-style soup traditions brought by ethnic Chinese communities (particularly those of Teochew descent).
The author sampled this dish at “เจ๊ต่อ ท่าดินแดง 16 (Jae Tor / Thadin Daeng 16)” in the Tha Din Daeng area of Bangkok, Thailand. It was served in a portable container, consistent with the street-food style.
Name and orthography
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Thai spelling | กระเพาะปลา |
| Literal meaning | It includes a word corresponding to “fish stomach (viscera),” but as a dish it generally uses fish swim bladder. |
| Common Japanese renderings | Krapop pla; depending on sources and storefront signage, also rendered as Krapopura, Krapop pla, etc. |
| Related ingredient names | English: fish maw / Chinese: 魚肚（鱼肚）, etc. |
Positioning as a dish
Krapop Pla belongs to a category of Thai hot soups that foreground “thickness,” and it may be treated either as a light meal/snack or as a staple. The thickening is typically produced with starch (such as tapioca starch or cornstarch). Because it retains heat well and binds the ingredients together in an easy-to-eat form, it is well suited to street-stall service.
Fish swim bladder is commonly distributed as a dried product; after rehydration and preparatory processing, it develops a distinctive combination of springiness and tenderness. In Thailand it overlaps with the food culture of ethnic Chinese communities, and the pepper-forward thickened soup profile, along with seasoning centered on soy sauce and soup stock, is highly compatible with lineages of Chinese soups.
Main ingredients and components
Although the contents vary by shop and region, the overall structure generally consists of “fish swim bladder,” “thickened soup,” “aromatics (pepper and herbs),” and “additional ingredients.” In the bowl the author ate in Bangkok, multiple ingredients coexisted, making it an example with a strong “assorted toppings” character typical of street food.
- Fish swim bladder: Known as a collagen-containing part, it can range in texture from fluffy to resilient depending on rehydration. Through cooking the fishy odor is reduced, and in some cases it may become difficult to identify by texture alone.
- Thickened soup: Based on soy sauce and stock, with viscosity added via starch. It is also common to adjust the flavor profile at the table—sharpening it with pepper, adding acidity with vinegar, or adding heat with chili.
- Noodles and starchy additions: Some versions include thin noodles or vermicelli-like noodles. Their interaction with the thick soup increases satiety and strengthens the dish’s role as a staple.
- Vegetables and herbs: Crisp vegetables such as julienned bamboo shoots may be included. Many versions are finished with coriander (cilantro).
- Eggs and processed items: Quail eggs, fish paste products, and meats (e.g., shredded chicken) may be added. Depending on the shop, offal-type ingredients or gelatinous components may be combined to create layers of texture.
Outline of preparation
A typical process involves rehydrating and pre-treating dried fish swim bladder, warming it in stock, adjusting seasoning, thickening with starch, and finishing by adding other ingredients. Because insufficient rehydration or differences in pre-treatment can cause firmness or odor, serving quality tends to depend heavily on pre-processing technique. To increase throughput at street stalls, it is common to prepare soup and ingredients in advance and adjust the thickening for each individual order.
Nutritional and food-science characteristics
Fish swim bladder is treated as an ingredient rich in connective-tissue-derived protein (often described as containing collagen), and its primary value lies in texture. As a dish, however, starch is used for thickening, and seasoning tends to skew salty. As a result, even at the same portion size, “viscosity,” “saltiness,” and “heat” tend to increase perceived satisfaction. As a general consideration, those with dietary restrictions may wish to pay attention to sodium and the degree of thickening (the amount of starch).
Serving style and how it is eaten
Krapop Pla is served piping hot, ladled into a bowl or container. The thickness makes it slow to cool and easy to eat outdoors, but it is also said to require care to avoid burns inside the mouth. A common eating style is to customize it with table condiments—for example, adding pepper to heighten aroma, vinegar to tighten the finish with acidity, or chili to add spiciness.
Tasting information in Bangkok
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Country / City | Kingdom of Thailand / Bangkok |
| Area | Tha Din Daeng (Thadin Daeng) |
| Shop (street stall) name | เจ๊ต่อ ท่าดินแดง 16 |
| Identifiable ingredients (based on images and what was served) | Thick brownish soup, coriander, an ingredient resembling shredded chicken, gelatinous components, and multiple other ingredients |
Similar and related dishes
Soups using fish swim bladder are widely found in ethnic Chinese communities across East and Southeast Asia. Thai Krapop Pla is regarded as one dish that has changed into a form suited to Thai food culture through features such as peppery thickness, immediate eatability at street stalls, and the use of fresh herbs. As a related culinary concept, Chinese fish maw soup (stewed dishes and geng-like thickened soups using fish swim bladder) may be cited, though concrete seasoning and ingredient composition vary greatly by region and shop.
Hygiene and food-cultural considerations
- Impact of pre-processing: Because swim bladder changes in texture and aroma depending on the extent of rehydration, washing, and heating, differences in serving quality are likely to occur.
- Temperature and thickness: Hot, highly viscous soup carries a risk of burns. With street food, care is also needed to prevent spills while carrying it.
- Allergens: In addition to seafood-derived ingredients, eggs, wheat (noodles), and soy (soy-sauce-based seasoning) may be included depending on the shop.