Nam Phrik: 10x better than sriracha
Everything, well, almost everything tastes better with a dollop of sriracha. But have you ever tried the Northern Thai sauce nam phrik?
Literally translated, nam phrik means chili water. Not that surprising, since it is made with fresh or dried peppers.
Depending on where you are in Thailand, nam phrik comes in all kinds of forms: from a smooth sauce to a chunky salsa, sometimes oil- or jam-like, elsewhere dry and crumbly, sometimes vegetarian, sometimes with shrimp, fish sauce, dried fish or minced pork. But in every form, it is essentially Thai staple food, usually eaten with raw vegetables, fresh herbs and lots of sticky rice for dipping.
Classic nam phrik
The classic nam phrik noom—the most popular variety—is made with peppers, ginger, garlic and shallots grilled over charcoal, then pounded into a paste in a mortar. Add a little salt or soy sauce and voilà: there’s your nam phrik noom.
How to make it yourself
Want to make it yourself? Here you’ll find a recipe for nam phrik noom. Make sure your kitchen is well ventilated, though, because otherwise you’ll be standing in a huge cloud of pepper smoke in no time when roasting the peppers. One more tip: although the food processor is tempting, your nam phrik (just like pesto) really does taste better when you pound it in a mortar.
How to eat it
Finally: what does it go well with? Well, what doesn’t it go with? As the Thai do, serve it with raw vegetables or—slightly less traditional but just as delicious—with fried beef, crispy fried chicken or grilled lamb. In short: this summer, don’t put sriracha next to the barbecue—put out a bowl of nam phrik instead.
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