Add this extraordinary vegan nam prik pao chilli jam to just about anything for an added wow factor (it's great on toast). I would like to spread it on my life.
Thai Chilli Jam (Nam Prik Pao). Magic sauce for everything.
This is also the sort of foodstuff that, once jarred up and labelled, makes a thoughtful gift. If you use a mason jar, however, be sure to photograph it with your feet somehow in the picture (ideally the person behind the camera will have a waxed moustache). Then use the most unappealing filter you can find before uploading the photo to Instagram. If you are sitting down, be sure to use the #whatveganseat hashtag. Get it?
Fried ingredients for nam prik pao: garlic, shallot, chilli, galangal
Vegan Thai Chilli Jam
Nam Prik Pao – นำ้พริกเผา
Chilli jam, or nam prik pao, is a great introduction to Thai relishes and is a versatile ingredient that can be used in any number of ways (in stir fries, fried rice, and tom yam to name a few). The Thai roasted chilli paste that can be purchased commercially is nam prik pao, although few versions are vegan friendly as prawns are a sometimes an ingredient.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons tamarind pulp
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 100 grams (1 cup) thinly sliced shallots
- 50 grams garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced (⅓ cup sliced garlic)
- 4 thin slices galangal
- 5 dried long red chillies, deseeded
- 65 grams (packed ¼ cup) soft light palm sugar
- 7 grams (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
Directions/Method
- Mash the tamarind and warm water together in a small bowl. Use a mesh strainer to strain the liquid into another container by pressing the pulp firmly against the mesh with the back of a wooden or silicone spoon.
- Bring the oil in a wok to medium heat. Tip the shallots into the oil and fry, stirring often, until they are a crisp toasting brown (but not burnt). Remove to kitchen roll to drain. Next add the garlic to the oil and cook in the same way until the slivers are lightly brown. Drain on kitchen roll.
- The galangal will take less time to cook than the shallots and garlic. Fry the slices until they are shriveled and brown around the edges, just a minute or so.
- Finally, fry the dried chillies until they turn a deeper red (30 seconds to 1 minute). As with all other ingredients, do not burn.
- Pound the ingredients with a pestle and mortar, adding one fried ingredient at a time until pulverized and combined.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the frying oil in a smaller pan. Add the pounded ingredients, palm sugar, tamarind water and salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat. The paste will thicken slightly in the pool of oil. Allow to cool before use. If you want a smoother, less stodgy paste, you can blend it with some water (but keep in mind it will dilute flavours).
- Author: Kip Dorrell
- Cuisine: Thai
Hannah
Could you use tamarind concentrate instead? What would the amount be?
Kip
Hi Hannah,
Yes, this should work fine. The quality of the concentrates is not always a good, so I would start with a 1:1 quantity and then taste to see if you personally think it needs more.
Jeff B
Hi,
Great recipe, thanks for posting it! Question—do you know of any vegetarian/vegan brands of fish sauce available in the US? I usually use light soy, but I know it just isn’t the same.
Thanks!
Kip
Hi Jeff, glad you liked the recipe. As for fish sauce brands in the US I would stick with Vietnamese imports. I've only tried one of the US ones (Ocean's Halo) and it was not good IMO. As a salty sauce, it was fine, but as fish sauce no way. Any Vietnamese brand that contains just soy and salt (maybe some other things, but definitely not sugar, seaweed, vinegar etc...) is going to be your best bet. Lucky Tree brand used to be imported and sold in some places in the US, but I've no idea what's available now... Let me know if you find anything!
Daniel
Super Q has the best vegan fish sauce I have ever found (the only vegan fish sauce I have ever liked). It is a bit difficult to find and I have yet to locate it online. I used to buy it in Asian markets in San Antonio, but since moving back north, no luck. There is a vegetarian fish saice redily availible by super Q up here, but it is of the sweet persuasion with added chilli. The vegitarian fish sauce that smells and tastes quite close to the real thing only has soy, wheat, and salt listed in the ingredients. If I could post a pic I would. Good luck in your search.
Kip
Thanks for the recommendation. Hopefully that will be helpful to my North American readers.
Daniel
Thank you for this recipe. What a treat to pair with sticky rice!!
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