Hot Cat

Translate fish mousse into Thai and you have ho mok, a spicy mixture of ground fish, red curry paste and coconut milk. At Ganda Thai restaurant in Hollywood, ho mok is made fresh daily with catfish. The ground mixture, which includes chunks of fish, sits on basil leaves and is topped with thick coconut cream, cilantro leaves, red chile strips and fine shreds of kaffir (Thai) lime leaf. In Thailand, ho mok is steamed in banana leaves. Here, it comes in a plastic takeout container. Pretty to look at, Ganda’s ho mok is intensely hot, so taste with caution.

Fish ho mok, $4.50 a container at Ganda Thai restaurant, 5269 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles (in the back of a mall). (323) 466-4281.