Chili Paste - Nam Prig Pud/Nam Prig Pow น้ำพริกผัด, น้ำพริกเผา

5/5 7 Votes

Pin It

See it on your phone!

There are so many types of Thai chili pastes. Most non-Thais are introduced to chili paste via tom yum goong. This type of chili paste is sweet with a dark thick body and red oil. For Thai people, chili paste is versatile. It can be eaten as a side dish as dipping sauce with fresh vegetables, as component in other recipes such as yum (salad) or tom yum, or as fusion food on a piece of bread.

This type of chili paste should be accurately called nam prig pud but most people know it as nam prig pow. The term pow is referred to roasting method in an open flame until the outside is charred. Pud (or pad) is stir fry method ie. Pad Thai – sitr fried. This chili paste is made with ground spices, then stir fried with oil. The true 'nam prig pow' has roasted ingredients and is not stir fried with oil. However, the term 'nam prig pow' now includes 'nam prig pud', and often 'nam prig pud' refers exclusively to 'nam prig pow,' as evident in store-bought chili paste.

Chili Paste

Nam Prig Pud/Nam Prig Pow น้ำพริกผัด, น้ำพริกเผา

4 Servings, Prep Time: 20 Minutes, Total Time:

1/4 cup dried shrimp
4-6 Dried whole chilis
1/2 cup garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons Palm Sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shallots
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 teaspoons tamarind paste
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup water

Tips and Techniques

Use large chili peppers for mild chili paste. Use small chili peppers for hot chili paste. Fry the chili lightly to preserve the red color so that the oil will be bright red.
Commercial chili pastes are often too sweet for my taste. Adjust the sweet, salty and sour flavors according to your taste.

Method

Prepping

Peel and slice garlic and shallots. Dissolve tamarind paste with 1/2 cup of water.

Cooking

Over low heat, add ½ cup of oil to a wok/pan. Add dried shrimp and stir. Stir until the shrimp turns lightly brown and crispy, so that it's easier to grind. It should take a minute or two. Drain the shrimp from oil and set aside.

Add the dried whole chilies to the oil. Stir the dried chilies in hot oil. It should take seconds to get the peppers crunchy for easy grinding. The longer the peppers sit in hot oil, the darker they will get and will result in darker chili paste. You may need to take the wok off the heat. When done, drain the peppers and set aside.

Add the sliced garlic to oil. Fry until golden brown. Use low heat and stir often. It should take about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside when done. Add sliced shallots and fry until golden brown. It takes a bit longer to fry shallots because of the high water content. It may take 5 minutes. Drain and set aside when done.

In a stone mortar, grind shrimp until finely ground. Scoop out the ground shrimp. Add the fried dried whole chilies and salt and grind until finely ground. Add fried garlic and shallots. Grind until smooth. Add palm sugar and shrimp paste. Mix everything together.

Scoop the mixture out and drop it back into the wok with oil over low heat. Add the tamarind water mixture and stir to mix everything in. Let the paste bubble. The paste will get thicker as the ingredients absorbs the liquid and palm sugar binds everything together. If the paste doesn't flow out of your spatula, add a tablespoon of water or so. Let it boil. Take a small piece and taste. Start with the portion given in the recipe but add sugar, tamarind and salt to your taste. As the paste cools down, it will thicken.

Scoop out the mixture. You can serve right away or store it in a glass jar. Keep the jar in the fridge. It should be good for a few weeks. You can also freeze the chili paste.