Nam Prig Noom - ์์์Nam Prig Noom น้ำพริกหนุ่ม

Method

Grill or pan roast all the ingredients together except for salt. It takes about 15 minutes to roast the Italian peppers -- then take them out. Then another 5 minutes and the rest of the ingredients are roasted. Remove from the pan and scrape the burnt parts off with a knife. Peel the skin off from the garlic and shallots. Remove pepper stems.

Mortar and Pestle Method:

Pound all the ingredients including salt in a mortar. The final mixture should be rough with chunks of ingredients. You can also use a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle. Taste to see if you need more salt.

Food Processor Method:

Add all ingredients to the food processor. Pulse the ingredients quickly to get a rough chop. It should take a few pulses to do the job. You want some texture in the sauce.

Pound all the ingredients including salt in a mortar. The final mixture should be rough with chunks of ingredients. You can also use a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle. Taste to see if you need more salt.

Method

Drying the Rinds:

Rinse the pork rinds well. Let it dry in the oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or until dry enough to cut but not too dried out.

With a sharp knife, cut and pull the pork rinds into strips, ¾ inch. Hold the knife down with one hand and pull the sheet up to cut. The strips should be about ¾ inch in width by 4-5 inches in length.

Put the strips back in the oven for another hour or so until they are dry. The rinds should be dark orange (see picture 4.)

Frying the Rinds:

You want the oil to be very hot for the pork rinds to puff up. Add the oil to the wok, cast iron or fryer. Test the oil temperature by putting a small piece of rind in the oil. If the rind puffs up right away, the oil is hot enough. Add the pork rinds to hot oil. It may start to splatter, you may want to wear oven mittens to protect your arms and hands.

Move the pork rinds around in the wok so that they all can come into contact with the oil and puff up. Push the pork rinds under the oil to get all spots that you may miss. Once when the pork rinds puff up, it takes no more than a minute to be ready. Remove the rinds and drain the oil.

Serve with Nam Prig Noom or as a side to noodle soups. Store the rinds in an airtight container to keep them crispy.

Method

The Traditional Method Using a Steamer: Soak the sticky rice in enough cold or lukewarm water to cover the rice for at least an hour or even overnight. Take your steamer, put water in the bottom and cover the steam section with cheesecloth or muslin cloth. Pour the sticky rice on the cheesecloth, cover with the lid and put it on the stove on medium to high heat. Ten minutes into it, move the rice around so the top is down close to the steam. The sticky rice should take about a 20 minutes of steaming to cook and will become translucent when done. Take a small bite to see if it is soft and chewy.  It should not be soggy.

The Microwave Method: I learned this method from my friend who has mastered microwave cooking to such a high level of proficiency that she has earned the title 'the microwave queen'.

Soak the sticky rice for 10 minutes in warm water in a bowl. Soaking the rice is very important. I have tried this method without soaking the rice first and it was disastrous. The rice was undercooked and inedible. The water level should be just above the rice, which comes out to be 1 cup of rice and a little over 1 cup of water (about 10% more). I recommend using a non-plastic container because you may melt the plastic in the microwave. Cover the bowl with a dish and cook in microwave for at full power 3 minutes. Stir the rice around to move the rice from the top to the bottom. You will notice that some of the rice is translucent or cooked and some still has white center or the uncooked portion.

Heat it up again for another 3 minutes. Check and see if it is done. When cooked, all the rice should be translucent. If it needs more cooking, I recommend heating up and checking every 3 minutes or so. How long it takes to cook really depends on your microwave.

Rice Cooker Method:

Cooking sticky rice in a rice cooker seems to be the easiest way but it doesn't yield the best result.  There is no need to soak the sticky rice.  You just add sticky rice and water, according to manufacturer's instructions.  Press the button and wait for 30-45 minutes depending on your rice cooker.  When done, the sticky rice is mushy which is fine for mango sticky rice but not that great if you're planning to eat it with your fingers as a savory dish.  The grains should be seperated and remain intact.  In a pinch, this method makes sticky rice but not the best textured sticky rice.

Serving

In Thailand, sticky rice is served in a bamboo basket.  Enjoy sticky rice with laab, green papaya salad, bamboo shoot yum, nam tok, beef jerky, heavenly beef and grilled chicken with turmeric and a plateful of fresh vegetables.