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.

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.

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.

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

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).

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.

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.