18 Seasoned fish sauce condiments (น้ำปลาปรุงรส ; naam bplaap roong roht)

So the debate is on. Some call it “phrik naam bplaa”, while others prefer “naam bplaa phrik”. Whatever you call it, we’ve become so accustomed to it that some dishes simply don’t taste right without it. Nevertheless, fish sauce condiments were once a wellspring of inspiration, with refined versions that often featured a wider range of ingredients.

Seasoned fish sauce condiments are easy to prepare. They can serve as a generic, all-purpose seasoning for rice dishes or as a playful and sophisticated accompaniment – a tasty addition for the meal. It is not difficult to see why they are popular; just some slicing and mixing or short simmering are required to prepare them, compared to naam phrik lao (น้ำพริกลาวโบราณ), the old-days staple condiment that required grilling and pounding the ingredients.

What follows is a description of eighteen variations on seasoned fish sauce condiments, including versions served in the kitchens of the Suan Sunandha Palace by Mom Chao Sai Ladawan (HRH Princess Saisawali Phirom, พระวิมาดาเธอ หม่อมเจ้าสาย ลดาวัลย์).

1. All purpose, modern phrik naam pla (พริกน้ำปลา)

Mix together:

• Fresh bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• 3 parts fish sauce,
• 1 part lime juice,
• Pinch of granulated sugar.

Tip: mix the fresh chilies with lime juice and allow to stand for a minute or two before adding the fish sauce. It will keep the chiles from darkening and will maintain their vibrant colors for longer.

2. Seasoned fish sauce with pickled plum mango (น้ำปลามะปริงดอง)

Mix together:

• Pickled plum mango, sliced thinly,
• Shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Fish sauce,
• Pinch of granulated sugar,
• Optional: lime juice or tamarind paste.

Serve with: Fried grilled catfish or snakehead fish (whole fish or a slice), shrimp, crispy fish or fried pork.

3. Seasoned fish sauce with sour bilimbi fruit (น้ำปลาตะลิงปลิง)

Mix together:

• Sour bilimbi fruit, sliced thinly,
• Shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Thai garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Fresh red and green long chilies (phrik chee fa),
• Fish sauce,
• Pinch of palm sugar.

Serve with hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, stewed or fried meats.

4. Seasoned fish sauce with tomato (น้ำปลามะเขือเทศ)

Same as the seasoned fish sauce with sour bilimbi fruit but substitute tomatoes for the sour bilimbi.

5. Seasoned fish sauce with madan (น้ำปลามะดัน)

Same as the seasoned fish sauce with sour bilimbi fruit but substitute thinly sliced madan (sour cucumber, มะดัน) for the sour bilimbi.  

6. Seasoned fish sauce with carambola (น้ำปลามะเฟือง)

Same as the seasoned fish sauce with sour bilimbi fruit but substitute carambola for the sour bilimbi.

7. Seasoned fish sauce with salacca (น้ำปลาระกำ)

Mix together:

• Salacca, sliced thinly,
• Thai garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Fish sauce,
• Pinch of palm sugar.

Serve with: hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, steamed or fried meats.

8. Seasoned fish sauce with hog plum (น้ำปลามะกอก)

Mix together:

• Hog plum (มะกอก), sliced thinly,
• Hairy-fruited eggplant (มะอึก), diced into small pieces,
• Thai garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Fish sauce,
• Optional: pinch of granulated sugar.

Serve with: hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, stewed or fried meats.

9. Seasoned fish sauce with giant water bug (น้ำปลาแมงดา)

Mix together:

The meat of a giant water bug (แมงดา),
Madan (sour cucumber, มะดัน), sliced thinly,
Shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise,
Thai garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise,
Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
Fish sauce,
Pinch of palm sugar.

Serve with: hard-boiled eggs, an omelet, steamed or fried meats.

10. Seasoned fish sauce for fermented tea leaves (น้ำปลาใบเมี่ยง)

Mix together:

• Thai garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1/3-part tamarind paste,
• Pinch of palm sugar.

Serve with: dried or grilled shrimp, pork fat cracklings, fermented tea leaves (raw or fried) (ใบเมี่ยง), or pickled crateva adansonii leaves (ใบกุ่มดอง).

11. Seasoned fish sauce with termite mushrooms and charred pea eggplant (น้ำปลาอร่อย)

Mix together:

• Termite mushrooms (เห็ดโคนสด), cooked and liquids reserved,
• The mushroom cooking liquids,
• 1 part lime juice (น้ำมะนาว),
• 1 part fish sauce (น้ำปลา),
• 1-part green mandarin orange juice (น้ำส้มเหม็น),
• Pea eggplants (มะเขือพวง), char roasted and then washed,
• Shallots (หอมแดง), sliced thinly,
• Madan (sour cucumber, มะดัน), sliced thinly,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• The meat of giant water bug (แมงดา).

12. Seasoned fish sauce with char grilled chilies (น้ำปลาพริกเผา)

Mix together:

• 1 part fish sauce (น้ำปลา),
• 1/2-part lime juice (น้ำมะนาว),
• Pinch of granulated sugar,
• Dried shrimp powder,
• Fresh banana chilies (phrik yuak) (พริกหยวก) grilled, peeled and shredded into thin threads,
• Fresh red and green long chilies (phrik chee fa) (พริกชี้ฟ้าแดง และ เขียว), grilled, peeled and shredded into thin threads.

Optional:

• Shallots (หอมแดง), sliced thinly.
• Spring onion, sliced thinly.
• Coriander leaves.

Served with: grilled catfish.

13. Seasoned fish sauce with fried ingredients (น้ำปลาจิ้มส้มเครื่องทอด)

• Smoke-dried fish (all varieties) (ปลาย่างรมควัน), grilled and pounded,
• Crispy fried shallots (หอมแดงเจียว),
• Crispy fried dried chili threads (พริกแห็งหั่นฝอยทอด),
• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1 part palm sugar.

Simmer the fish sauce with the sugar until it is thickened. Wait for the sauce to cool to room temperature before adding the crispy elements.

Serve with: various sour leading foods.

14. Seasoned fish sauce for sour foods (น้ำปลาจิ้มส้ม)

• Ground dried chili (พริกป่น), freshly roasted and grounded,
• Dried shrimp, pounded to powder,
• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1 part palm sugar,
• 1/2 part water

Mix and simmer all the ingredients together until the sauce thickens.

Serve with: various sour leading foods.

15. Sweet fish sauce – recipe 1 (น้ำปลาหวาน)

• 1 part fish sauce,
• 3 parts palm sugar,
• 1 part water,
• Pinch of galangal powder,
• Dried shrimp, whole,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise.

Mix all the ingredients together except the chilies. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add the fresh chilies and simmer until the chilies are cooked.

Serve with: grilled catfish, sour fruits.

16. Sweet fish sauce – recipe 2 (น้ำปลาหวานเครื่องทอด)

• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1 part tamarind paste,
• 3 parts palm sugar,
• 1 part water,
• Pinch of galangal powder,
• Crispy fried shallots (หอมแดงเจียว),
• Crispy fried garlic (กระเทียมเจียว),
• Pork fat cracklings (กากหมู),
• Crispy fried dried bird’s eye chili (พริกขี้หนูสวนแห้งทอด).

Serve with: boiled or grilled margosa tree flower buds (sadao; สะเดา), grilled catfish or grilled snakehead fish.

17. Sweet fish sauce – recipe 3 (น้ำปลาหวานเคื่องสด)

• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1 part tamarind paste,
• 3 parts palm sugar,
• 1 part water,
• Pinch of galangal powder,
• Fresh red and green bird’s eye chilies, sliced into thin rounds,
• Spring onion, sliced thinly,
• Coriander leaves.

Mix all the ingredients together except the chilies and herbs. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Add the fresh chilies and simmer until the chilies are cooked. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding the spring onions and coriander leaves

Serve with: boiled or grilled margosa tree flower buds (sadao; สะเดา), grilled catfish or grilled snakehead fish.

18. Sweet fish sauce with coconut cream – recipe 4 (น้ำปลาหวานกะทิ)

• 1 part coconut cream,
• 1 part fish sauce,
• 1 part tamarind paste,
• 3 parts palm sugar,
• 1 part water,
• Pinch of galangal powder,
• Crispy fried shallots (หอมแดงเจียว),
• Crispy fried garlic (กระเทียมเจียว),
• Crispy fried dried chili threads (พริกแห็งหั่นฝอยทอด).

Simmer the coconut cream until it separates into fat. Add the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste and water. Simmer until thickened. Wait for the sauce to cool to room temperature before adding the crispy elements.