Best Nam Prik Recipes

NAM PRIK NAM PLA (TRADITIONAL THAI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until thoroughly blended.
• Store in airtight container up to two weeks.
• Serve with Thai Fried rice, grilled meats and satays, noodle soups or even with plain Jasmine rice.

REAL THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE (NAM PRIK GEN KAYO WAN)

Steps:

• Combine green chiles, shallots, cilantro roots, garlic, Thai basil, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime peel, shrimp paste, cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander seeds, salt, and white pepper in a mortar and pestle; pound into a smooth paste.

HOY LAI PAD NAM PRIK POW (CLAMS WITH CHILI PASTE AND BASIL)

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan or wok over high heat; add the oil and wait 1 minute more. Mix garlic into the hot oil and cook until it just turns golden brown, about 1 minute. Add clams and chile paste; stir until clams are coated.
• Stir fish sauce, chiles, and sugar into clams; cook and stir until the clams have opened, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix basil into clam mixture and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

THAI CURRY PORK LETTUCE WRAPS (NAM PRIK ONG)

Steps:

• Toast the rice in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Transfer the rice to a mortar and pestle or a food processor and grind into a coarse powder.
• Cook pork in a skillet over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Place the onions in the skillet with the pork and continue to cook and stir until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and cook until aromatic. Mix in the tomato paste and reduce the heat to a simmer. Pour in 1/4 cup water if the pork seems dry and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the roasted, ground rice and continue to simmer until the ground rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice and fish sauce to taste. Serve pork in lettuce leaves.

THAI RED CHILE SAUCE - NAM PRIK DANG

Steps:

• Puree ingredients in blender or food processor.
• Store in sealed container in refrigerator.
• Serve as a table condiment for Thai and other Asian dishes.

NAM PRIK PAO (CHILE JAM)

Steps:

• Combine the tamarind paste with 1/2 cup very hot water, and break up the paste with a spoon or your fingers; soak for a few minutes, breaking up the paste a few more times if needed. Push the mixture through a mesh strainer with the back of a spoon; set aside the pulp that passes through the strainer, and discard what remains inside the strainer. Stem and seed the chiles.
• Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not quite smoking. Add the chiles, and cook, stirring, for 15 to 20 seconds, making sure they don't burn. Remove with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate.
• Add the garlic to the oil, and fry, stirring frequently, until just golden brown. (It will continue to brown after it's out of the oil, so don't go too dark now.) Transfer to the plate with the chiles. Fry the shallots until golden brown, and transfer to the plate. Turn off the heat, leaving the oil in the pan. Transfer the chiles, garlic and shallots to a food processor; pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture turns into a paste (no need to make it totally smooth).
• Turn the heat under the pan to medium. Add the shrimp paste, and cook, stirring and breaking it up, for about a minute or 2. Add the palm sugar, and cook, stirring, until it dissolves. Add the chile, garlic and shallot mixture, the tamarind pulp and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce. Stir to combine, turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally so the bottom of the pan doesn't burn, until it thickens slightly, 2 or 3 minutes. Taste the mixture; if it still needs salt, add more fish sauce, a little at a time.
• You can store the jam (and the oil) in a jar in the fridge or freezer; use it in stir-fries or soups, spoon it on top of rice or noodles, spread it on toast or use it as the base for the yum yai dressing (recipe online).

NAM PRIK

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients and stir; make sure the sugar dissolves.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary (I often add more nam pla). Let rest for a few minutes before serving or cover and refrigerate for about a day (return to room temperature before using).

TOMATO NAM PRIK

Steps:

• Squeeze the seeds from the tomato. Run the cut side back and forth over a box grater until you're left holding the core, stem and most of the skin. Repeat with the other half.
• Add the remaining ingredients, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary (add more chile and nam pla or a little salt). Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

NAM PRIK NOOM (GREEN CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Place eggplant (cut side down, chiles, garlic & shallots on a cookie sheet). Cook til gralic sodt, 5 min. Remove garlic & set aside. Turn chiles again & cook til they are charred, 3 min more. Place in a bowl, cover & cool. Scoop eggplant & pulp out of skin w/a spoon, then place pulp in the work bowl of a food processor. Peel & seed chiles. Slip off garlic & shallot peels, then add garlic, shallots, chiles, cilantro to eggplant. Puree til smooth. Stir in nam pla & lime juice & serve as a dip for steamed veggies or w/rice.

NAM PRIK NUM

Steps:

• Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot. Add chilies and reduce heat to moderately high. Dry-fry chilies, pressing down gently on chilies and turning with tongs, until blackened on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, and transfer to a cutting board. Add shallots and garlic and reduce heat to moderately high. Dry-fry shallots and garlic, turning once, until softened and blackened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer shallots and garlic to a bowl to cool slightly. Dry-fry tomatoes in same manner.
• Wearing rubber gloves, cut off stem ends of chilies. Slice chilies lengthwise, discarding seeds (unless you want a very hot salsa). Finely chop chilies, shallots, and garlic and transfer to a ceramic or glass bowl. Discard tomato stems and skins. Finely chop tomatoes and add with any juices to chili mixture.
• Add coriander to taste, fish sauce, and lime juice and stir until combined (salsa will be chunky and a little soupy). Alternatively, all ingredients may be chopped together in a food processor, but the salsa has a more traditional coarse texture when chopped by hand. Let salsa stand, covered, 30 minutes to blend and mellow flavors. Salsa keeps, covered and chilled, 5 days.
• Serve salsa at room temperature with rice, cucumbers, and lettuce leaves for scooping.

KANOM JEEN NAM-PRIK (RICE NOODLES WITH SPICY SHRIMP AND COCONUT)

Steps:

• In a 450-degree oven or over an open flame from the stovetop, grill or broiler, roast the shallots, garlic and galangal until blackened. Peel and discard the skins, finely chop, then pound in a mortar or purée in a food processor to make a paste. Stir in the salt and set aside.
• Skim off 1/2 cup of the creamy part of the can of coconut milk and set aside; pour the rest in a medium pot. Add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then add the mung beans, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a wok over low heat, then add the shredded coconut. Stir continuously until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a plate to cool. Clean the wok, return to the heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the reserved paste and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the reserved coconut cream and cook, stirring, until a layer of oil appears, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, beginning with 2 teaspoons and adding more to taste. Stir well for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat.
• Place the shrimp in the simmering coconut milk and poach until just pink, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and roughly grind two-thirds of the shrimp in a food processor. Combine the whole and puréed shrimp in a small bowl and set aside.
• Add the chili-paste mixture to the pot of coconut milk. Add the peanuts and two-thirds of the toasted coconut, crumbling it as you add it to the pot. Add the shrimp, palm sugar and fish sauce. Remove from heat and add lime juice to taste. Adjust the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice as needed; the dish should be sweet, sour and salty, with a kick of heat from the chili. Before serving, stir in the remaining toasted coconut. Serve over cooked noodles or rice and garnish with green mango, sliced green beans and fried shallots, garlic and chilies.

PRIK NAM PLA

Steps:

• Mix together and let sit to blend.

THAI NAM PRIK WITH GRILLED FISH AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Line a wok or large frying pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.
• Cut one eggplant in half lengthwise and then each half into thirds.
• Place wok or frying pan over high heat. Add onion, garlic, Thai chile peppers, jalapeno halves, and eggplant pieces. Cook, tossing and stirring until vegetables are lightly charred, but not burned, and they release their aroma, about 5 minutes. Continue to stir and cook until the vegetables are very aromatic and just soft enough to pound easily in a mortar, about 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Remove and discard foil from wok or frying pan and return pan to heat; add shrimp and cook until they are pink and opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly and cut into small pieces using a sharp knife.
• Combine cooked vegetables and shrimp in a mortar and pound with pestle until mixture comes together and pieces are the size of grains of rice. Alternatively, this can be done by chopping with a sharp knife on a cutting board. To this mixture, add chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, and sugar, and toss well to combine. The nam prik may be made several hours or up to a full day before using; keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Let it come to room temperature before using.
• In a small bowl, mix together remaining tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce. Set mixture aside.
• Slice remaining 3 eggplants lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Slice frying peppers down the center lengthwise, removing core and seeds.
• Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and set over medium heat, or heat a grill to medium hot. Brush eggplant, frying peppers, baby bok choy, and scallions with soy-sauce mixture and arrange as many pieces as will fit, without crowding, on the hot grill. Cook vegetables in two or three batches until they are soft, fragrant, and slightly brown. The grilling time will vary: Grill bok choy about 8 minutes, peppers 8 minutes, eggplant 4 minutes, and scallions 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables from the grill to a large serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Brush grill with a grill brush and, if using a grill pan, spray with cooking spray. Brush fish fillets with remaining soy mixture and arrange on grill. Cook until fish is opaque halfway up its side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until fish has golden grill marks and is cooked through, 3 to 4 more minutes. Transfer fish to the serving platter with grilled vegetables, garnish with cilantro sprigs, and serve immediately with nam prik.

THAI EGGPLANT DIP (NAM PRIK NOOM)

Steps:

• wash all produce thoroughly;halve eggplant lengthwise and leave all other ingredients whole.
• broil eggplant,poblanos,garlic, and shallots 5 minutes;remove the garlic ,turn poblanos and broil 5 more minutes;remove everything except the peppers ,and grill until charred about 3 minutes more.you may need to check the peppers and turn them again to make sure they cook evenly.
• place the peppers in a bag(a sealable zip bag is good but any will work)and set aside about 10 minutes.peel and discard seeds.dont worry about getting all of it;a few peices of charred skin adds flavor.
• scoop out eggplant pulp and place in food processor with garlic,shallots,peeled seeded peppers,cilantro,1 teaspoon nam pla,and lime juice.puree until smooth you may want to add more nam pla or lime juice to taste.
• serve over hot steamed jasmine rice or as a dip for raw veggies.

FORD FRY'S NAM PRIK PAO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the chiles and lemongrass in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Combine the chile-lemongrass mixture and the honey in a small bowl and allow to infuse for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight to infuse. Remove and discard the Thai basil before using. Will keep for up to 4 months.

NAM PRIK NUM

Steps:

• Heat the broiler.
• Place peppers, and whole garlic on a silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Broil 8 minutes, until garlic is beginning to blacken and peppers are soft.
• Transfer bell and banana peppers to a bowl and cover for 3 minutes.
• Peel and transfer all the peppers, along with accumulated juices and roasted garlic, to food processor.
• Add remaining ingredients and pulse until chopped and well combined.
• Transfer to a non-metallic container or serving bowl and let stand at room temperature until the flavors are melded, at least 30 minutes, or can 20 minutes in a waterbath.

PEA, FETA & QUINOA SPRING ROLLS WITH ROAST TOMATO NAM PRIK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. To make the nam prik, place the tomatoes, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, season, then roast for 1½-2 hrs until semi-dried. Remove from the oven, let cool, then tip into a food processor with the remaining ingredients and blitz to a medium purée.
• Cook the quinoa in a pan of boiling salted water following pack instructions. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool. Cook the peas for 1 min in boiling water, then drain and run under cold water for a few mins. Drain thoroughly, tip into a food processor and pulse to a chunky purée. Add this to the cooled quinoa along with the feta, mint, spring onions and lemon zest and juice. Mix well to combine and season to taste, adding more lemon juice if required.
• Lay a sheet of filo in front of you, keeping the remainder covered under a damp tea towel. Cut the filo in half across the width to make 2 squares. With one corner pointing towards you (so you are looking at a diamond shape rather than a square), spoon 2 tbsp of the filling just below the centre line and shape into a log. Brush the pastry edges with egg, then fold in the 2 side corners. Keeping your fingers on the corners, bring the bottom corner up over the filling towards the centre, then roll up tightly towards the top corner. It's important to roll as tightly as possible, so the spring rolls cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining filo sheets and filling.
• Heat about 3cm sunflower oil in a large pan or wok and fry the spring rolls, in batches, for 2-3 mins or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Transfer the spring rolls to a plate and serve with the nam prik.

GRILLED SHRIMP NAM PRIK

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or gas grill.
• Heat should be medium-hot and the rack no more than 4 inches from the heat source.
• (You can use a broiler if you prefer.) If you like, peel and devein shrimp.
• Combine sugar, chili, lime juice and nam pla.
• Taste, and adjust seasoning.
• Lightly salt shrimp, then grill them about 2 minutes to a side.
• Divide nam prik among 4 bowls, and serve as a dip for shrimp.

NAM PRIK PAO

Steps:

• Preparation Tips: Although traditionally the shallots and garlic are finely chopped by hand, you can also use a food processor for this task. Just be sure not to over-process, or you will end up with a mushy mess. What you want are individual-looking pieces of shallot and garlic. If Using Whole Dried Chilies: simply place them in a coffee grinder (or food processor) and blitz until you get a powdery consistency. Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped shallots and garlic, frying until they turn a very light golden brown and slightly crispy (2-3 minutes). Tip: try not to over-brown the garlic, or it will turn bitter. Remove garlic and shallots with a slotted spoon from the oil and set in a bowl to cool. Leave remaining oil in the pan. Using a pestle & mortar OR food processor/mini-chopper, combine the prepared chili with the shrimp paste, fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, lime, and water. Also add the fried garlic and shallots. Pound or process all together to form a thick paste. Return this paste to your frying pan and stir it into the oil over low heat, gently simmering until you get a fairly even consistency. Adjust the consistency by adding a little more water if you find it too thick, or more oil if you prefer a "shinier" sauce. Adjust the taste, adding more fish sauce if you'd like it saltier, or more sugar if you'd like it sweeter (I usually end up adding another 1/2 Tbsp. of fish sauce and another Tbsp. of brown sugar to mine). Nam Prik Pao will keep for several months stored in a covered jar in your refrigerator. Use your Nam Prik Pao as an addition to Thai soups, or added as a flavor booster to Thai stir-fries and curry sauces. Also wonderful when stir-fried with seafood, or as an accompaniment to noodles. Enjoy!

THAI HOT SAUCE (NAM PRIK)

Steps:

• Combine the water, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic in small bowl. Set aside to cool.
• Add green onion.
• Serve in a shallow dipping bowl.