The uniqueness of Thai cuisine and its hefty appeal to foreigners can be attributed to perfectly layered flavors, the discriminating selection of optimal ingredients, and a wide variety and range of dishes.
Nevertheless, at the heart of Thai cuisine lies a group of dishes that are less familiar to the outside world: dishes that speak from the soul of the country, narrating the story of the land, its people, and their culture.
Thai chili relishes (nam prik)
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Chili relishes (nam prik) are made by pounding chilies together with salty ingredients such as fermented shrimp paste, salted or dried shrimp, to which various proteins are added. The mix is then further seasoned to sour, salty and sweet flavors.
Bursting with tastes, chili relishes are served in a central bowl and eaten along with rice and a wide variety of condiments, sweet pork, grilled fish, salted meat, and vegetables picked fresh from the garden.
The evolutionary roots of chili relishes are found in the simple blending of chili with salt to season rice.
For today’s menu, I have chosen to present a nam prik recipe that is not very far from that stage in evolution, and that takes almost no time to prepare. For an old-fashioned relish, it offers a pungent kick that can be extremely satisfying in modern settings – and would be politically correct on the menus of health enthusiasts.
The citrus aromatics of the lemongrass are preserved almost intact and go very well with the peppery aroma of pungent fresh chilies. It is served with a range of blanched vegetables, steamed or fried fish, sweet pork, and of course, a bowl of rice – a balanced meal, full of nutrients and health.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp (กุ้งแห้ง)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (เกลือทะเล)
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass (ตะไคร้) finely chopped (about 3 stalks)
- 5-7 fresh bird’s eye chili (kee noo suan) (พริกขี้หนูสวนสด)
- 1/2 teaspoon fermented shrimp paste (kapi)(กะปิย่างไฟ)
- 1/2 teaspoon palm sugar (น้ำตาลมะพร้าว)
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (น้ำปลา)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice (น้ำมะนาว)
Instructions
- Pound together dried shrimp and salt.
นำเอากุ้งแห้ง เกลือป่น ลงไปโขลกด้วยกันให้ละเอียด - Add chopped lemongrass.
ใส่ตะไคร้ซอยลงไป - Add bird’s eye chilies.
ใส่พริกขี้หนูลงไป - Pound together.
โขลกทั้งหมดให้ละเอียด - Pound into a smooth paste.
- Add grilled fermented shrimp paste.
เติมกะปิเผาลงไป - Add palm sugar.
ตามด้วยน้ำตาลมะพร้าวลงไป - Add fish sauce.
เติมน้ำปลา 1/2 ช้อนโต๊ะ - Squeeze a wedge of lime.
บีบมะนาว - Mix everything together.
คนส่วนผสมทั้งหมดให้เข้ากันดี - Serve with steamed and fried mackerel, sweet pork, salted duck eggs, and an assortment of fresh and boiled vegetables.
รับประทานแกล้มกับปลาทูทอด หมูหวาน ไข่เค็ม และผักลวก ผักสดต่าง ๆ
Devil’s Chili Relish of Smoked Dry Wallago Catfish
(naam phrik narohk bplaa khang graawp rohm khwan ; น้ำพริกนรกปลาคังกรอบรมควัน)
I love my food very spicy and I’m very generous with all things chili. People like me who also enjoy spicy food, in part, love it because It’s a truly a food & mood issue. Chilies are known to boost endorphin levels in the body and that makes us feel better. Maybe that’s the reason why marketers get my immediate attention simply with red packaging and the naughty smile of the devil holding to the brand name logo of their products.
A dish, like a smell or a color can be so evocative in their place or time. This dish always flys me back to the food stalls of Chiang Mai with its vivid color and tartly savor.
In this fast moving world, it is good sometime to pause for a moment, and to have a dish that emphasis relaxation, and allows you to enjoy a feast of textures and colors, because it is never eaten alone. It is served with a rich plate of accompanying vegetables pleasantly arranged, and with a group of good friends; all sharing the centrally placed bowl of the shiny red relish.
สูตรทำข้าวคลุกกะปิของ หม่อมเจ้าจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล – Rice Seasoned with Shrimp Paste Recipe – Each of the dish’s components is separately prepared and set aside, and mixed individually for each serving. A pleasant harmony of several flavors is created – complex and profound in taste, the dish is a stunning display of confidence. There are many variations of this dish: I have chosen to publish the version described by Prince Johngjit thanaawm Disagoon. This is the very same version prepared for King Chulalongkorn the Great during his unforgettable trip to Italy.
Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Aromatic Coconut Sauce
(khanohm jeen naam phrik goong; ขนมจีนน้ำพริกกุ้งสูตรมหาเด็ด)
The sweet leading sour coconut cream based sauce, enriched and thickened with fragrant freshly roasted peanuts and golden beans are a wonderful coat to dress the sweet shrimp meat. The aromatics are being extracted in every possible way, by roasting, and frying, boiling and reducing, pounding and grounding. All the culinary methods are being fully employed to guarantee an absolute real first class dish.
If you want to start some real Thai cooking going at your home, have the time and access to all the ingredients, than I really want you to try this dish. The building blocks of flavors work so well here and it will open you a great window to see the beginning of what is possible in Thai cuisine.
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