Ingredients:
Method:
75g whole dried chilli, substitute about 7 tbsp chili powder
100g garlic, about 2 medium heads
150g shallots, about 5 medium shallots
1 cup, 250ml oil
100g palm sugar, about 10 tbsp, chopped
2 tbsp Thai shrimp paste
1/3 cup tamarind pulp*
3 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup water
First you prepare the ingredients
Set a wok over medium heat. When the wok is hot, add the dried whole chilli. Stir vigorously, until the chilli pods begin to smoke and burn in places. (Be careful with this step or you might burn your eyes with the smoke, or worse yet, cause a terror alert or something.) Remove the chili from the heat. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Add 1 cup of oil into a wok over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic slices. Keep stirring to make sure that all the garlic are cooked evenly. When the garlic turn light golden brown – don't let them turn too dark now as they will continue to cook a bit more off the heat - use a colander to fish out all the garlic flakes. Set aside.
Add the sliced shallots into the remaining oil in the pan. Cook until they are golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent hot spots. When the shallots are done, turn the heat off, fish the fried shallot flakes out with the colander and leave the oil in the pan. Set aside.
Prepare about 1/2 cup of tamarind pulp. (I've already explained how to prepare tamarind pulp in a post on Pad Thai.) You may not need to use the whole amount, but it's good to have a little extra.
Now you make the Nam Prik Pao
Set the wok with the remaining oil back over medium high heat until hot. Form the shrimp paste into a ball and flatten it slightly. Fry the shrimp paste in the hot oil for one or two minutes until fragrant.
Add five tablespoons of chilli powder, stir well to mix. Then, add the ground garlic and shallots, tamarind pulp, fish saunce and chopped palm sugar, mix well. Add the water, and stir well. Taste the mixture and adjust by adding more sugar, tamarind, or chilli as needed. The flavor should be sour, sweet, salty, and with a good smoky and spicy note at the end. (Despite what you might have heard, Nam Prik Pao is not supposed to be fiery hot.)
Turn the heat down to simmer and let the mixture simmer until reduce a little bit, to the texture of loose jam. Don't reduce it too much at this point as it will thicken as it cools.
Transfer the Nam Prik Pao into an airtight container – I love to use old jam jars for this. Nam Prik Pao will keep in the cupboard for a few months.
What does one do with Nam Prik Pao, you asked? Well, if you are like me you eat it spread like jam on white toast for breakfast. Make your significant other eat it too or it'll just be the end for you two. You can make Tom Yum Goong with it, or use it as a base for spicy stir-fries.
Ingredients: ( scant 1 1/2 cup)
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce
2~3 small hot fresh Asian chile or jalapeno pepper, preferably red, seeded and finely chopped
juice from 2 limes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Method:
1) Combine water, sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, let it cool.
2) Stir in lemon juice, fish sauce, finely chopped red chile and garlic.
Serve at room temperature.
