[citation needed] In the 17th century, the Japanese Chihara Gorohachi's works observed that Siam was a popular destination for foreign merchant ships.

[16] Japanese nobleman Yamada Nagamasa brought steamed curry (ho mok) from Siam to Japan when he travelled to Nagasaki in 1624.

[17] There were some restaurants in Osaka, Japan in the past that offered a menu item called homoku, and claimed that it was a dish introduced by Siam hundreds of years ago.

It has a flavor reminiscent of a combination of steamed curry (ho mok) and fried fish cakes (thod man), but it is prepared differently by skewering the dumplings and grilling them until they are dry and then roasting them with coconut milk.

However, there is also a satirical verse, sak-ka-wa-duean-ngai-khai-ho-mok (Thai: สักวาเดือนหงายขายห่อหมก), which uses the term khai ho mok[22]: 108  to mock prostitutes of the past who would roam around local casinos and at the Saphan Lek in Bangkok, earning money through sex work.

The use of aromatic herbs and spices in the dish emphasizes the importance of natural ingredients in Thai cuisine, which is deeply rooted in the country's agricultural heritage.

Along with the paste, a variety of leaves and staple components are added to the dish, such as fish, crab, prawn, bamboo shoots, chicken, snail, tofu, and algae.

The specific ingredients used may vary depending on the region, with different Southeast Asian countries having their own unique versions of steamed curry.