Nam Prik Ong is a delicious and easy-to-make Thai dip that is perfect for any occasion. This flavorful dip is made with ground pork, sweet grape tomatoes, and flavorful herbs and seasoning. It's a perfect dip for use on an Asian charcuterie board!
For more tasty Thai dipping sauce, be sure to check out these tasty recipes. Thai tamarind dipping sauce, Easy Pad Thai sauce, Thai green seafood sauce, Jeow Som (Lao Spicy dipping sauce), Jeow Mak Len, Thai sweet chili dipping sauce.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love Thai Nam Prik Ong Recipe
- What is Nam Prik Ong
- Ingredients for Nam Prik Ong
- How to Make Authentic Nam Prik Ong Recipe
- Garnishing Options for Nam Prik Ong
- What to Serve With Nam Prik Ong Chili Dip
- Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
- Substitutes
- Storing Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Great Recipes You'll Love
- Authentic Nam Prik Ong
- More Dipping Sauces
Why You'll Love Thai Nam Prik Ong Recipe
- It is the ultimate sauce for dinner parties as an appetizer dip! It will keep your guests busy with tasty bites and memorable flavors!
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. The main ingredients can be found in most Asian markets.
- The perfect balance of savory, sweet flavors and spicy notes- all the Thai flavors in every bite!
- The spiciness is adaptable. Adjust as needed for your spice level.
- Versatile – great as a dip or side dish to any meal.
- It's healthy. The recipe is a healthy dip with fresh herbs and flavors! It's a real treat for those wanting a healthy Thai dip for clean eating.
What is Nam Prik Ong
Nam Prik Ong (น้ำพริกอ่อง) is a spicy northern Thai specialty used as a dip in a platter full of crunchy vegetables, crackers, pork crackling, or rice cakes. Grab these simple ingredients from your Asian market and let's get you on your way to impress your guests with this addictive umami classic Thai dip!
Ingredients for Nam Prik Ong
- Ground pork. Finely ground pork meat is ideal for this recipe, as you will pound the meat into a sticky paste-like mixture.
- Cherry tomatoes. Use ripe tomatoes, as they contain a lot of juice that provides the natural sourness and tanginess to the dip—no need to add tamarind or lime juice to this Thai dish.
- Garlic cloves, divided. Half will be used to pound in the mortar and pestle for the pork mixture, and the other half will fry in the pan for extra fragrance and flavor.
- Shallot, chopped into ½-inch pieces.
- Salt. Adjust the salt as needed depending on what brand of fish sauce you are using. Use half the amount first, and you can always add more to the pan.
- Shrimp paste. Also called Kapi or Gapi. It adds a salty umami flavor to the sauce. Shrimp paste is used extensively in Thai cuisine. Find these at any Thai Asian supermarket near you.
- Thai chilies. Use Thai long-dried chilies, soaked and deseeded.
- Palm sugar (brown or white sugar can be substituted).
- Fish sauce. For added savory umami flavor.
- Oil. Use vegetable, avocado, or canola oil.
- Water. Unsalted stock or broth is okay to use for this recipe.
- Fresh cilantro sprig for sprinkling on the dip to garnish before serving.
How to Make Authentic Nam Prik Ong Recipe
* Have a serving platter ready with raw vegetables, pork rind, rice cakes, shrimp crackers, or sticky rice for serving. Set these ingredients around a small bowl to use as a serving dish for the dip. Once the dip is done cooking, you want to serve the dip warm and fresh for the best flavors!
Step 1. Pound garlic, soaked chilis, and salt in a mortar and pestle. Add shallot, pound until smooth, then add the shrimp paste.
Step 2. Add the raw pork and tomatoes and keep pounding until all the pieces are mashed up pretty well. You should have a smooth, sticky pork mixture.
Step 3. Test a small amount of the meat mixture in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If you love the flavor, it's ready for the next step. If not, season more with fish sauce, sugar, or shrimp paste to your liking.
Step 4. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and fry until golden brown for 15-20 seconds. Add the meat mixture to the pan, stir it, and let it cook for 6-7 minutes. Stir a few times.
Step 5. Add palm sugar, fish sauce, and water. Simmer over low heat until most water has reduced the mixture to a thick consistency.
Step 6. Turn the heat off and adjust the seasoning to taste to create a perfect blend of flavors. Garnish with cilantro stems and scoop the dip into a small serving bowl with steamed vegetables and pork rind.
Garnishing Options for Nam Prik Ong
- Fresh cilantro sprigs add a nice pop of flavor and color to the dip.
What to Serve With Nam Prik Ong Chili Dip
- Sticky rice, crispy fried pork skins, rice cakes, or fried shrimp chips.
- Steamed vegetables (green beans, long beans, sliced kabocha squash, sweet pea pods, winged beans, and Thai eggplants)
- Lettuce, cabbage, or napa cabbage are great as lettuce wraps with the dip.
- Cucumber slices. Slice the cucumbers into thin strips like a flat spoon for easy dipping.
Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- A food processor makes the pork mixture quick and easy to grind if mortar and pestle are unavailable. Follow the cooking instructions for making the pork mixture as in steps 1-3 above.
- Use a wooden spoon for stirring, turning, and scrapping the mixture in the mortar to get all the pieces pounded into a smooth paste.
- To extract even more flavor for the dip, add the water to the mortar and swoop it around with a pestle to scrap off all the flavors from the meat mixture. Talk about a scrappy kitchen hack! Don't waste flavors here! (:
- Adjust the heat level by varying the number of dried chilies.
Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
- A large mortar and pestle is a great tool for this recipe. Read more about Thai kitchen tools here.
- A stone or granite mortar and pestle works well, too. If it's too small to hold all the ingredients, you may need to dip it in two batches.
- Food processor.
Substitutes
- Brown, white, or monk fruit sugar can replace palm sugar.
- Adjust the spice level with hot sauce to suit your taste.
- Ground chicken or turkey can be used, but it's not as flavorful or sweet as pork meat.
Storing Leftovers
Keep Nam Prik Ong in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make Nam Prik Ong spicier by adding more chili peppers or chili flakes to the recipe. Adjust the amount according to your preferred level of spiciness.
Yes. Instead of using ground pork, substitute it with tofu.
Namrik Ong is a chili dip that has a balanced profile. It is typically savory, tangy, and spicy. The taste can vary depending on the ingredients used, but it often has a rich umami taste.
Nam Phrik Kha is another Thai chili dip similar to Nam Prik Ong. However, ground pork is made with minced chicken and galangal instead of ground pork. It has a slightly different flavor profile but is equally delicious.
Nam Prik Ong is typically eaten with fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, green beans, and cabbage. It is also commonly enjoyed with steamed rice and sometimes served alongside other Thai dishes as part of
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Authentic Nam Prik Ong
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 2 cups
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Nam Prik Ong is a delicious and easy-to-make Thai dip perfect for any occasion. This flavorful dip is made with ground pork, sweet grape tomatoes, and flavorful herbs and seasoning. It's a perfect dip for use on an Asian charcuterie board!
Ingredients
- 2-8 Thai long dried chilis, deseeded and soak in warm water until soft (15 minutes).
- 6 large cloves garlic, divided. Half for pounding and the other half (minced) for frying.
- ⅓ cup shallot, chopped into ½ inch pieces.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut into halved pieces (1 ¼ cup-ish)
- 8 ounces ground pork (½ pound)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar, brown or white sugar are fine for substitutes.
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ cup water or stock (unsalted or lightly salted)
Instructions
* Prepare a serving platter with raw vegetables, pork rind, rice cakes, shrimp crackers, or sticky rice. Set these ingredients around a small bowl to serve the dip. Once the dip is done cooking, serve it warm and fresh for the best flavors!
- Pound garlic, soaked chilis, and salt in a mortar and pestle. Add shallot, pound until smooth, then add the shrimp paste.
- Add the raw pork and tomatoes and keep pounding until all the pieces are mashed up pretty well. You should have a smooth, sticky pork mixture.
- Test a small amount of the meat mixture in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If you love the flavor, it's ready for the next step. If not, season more with fish sauce, sugar, or shrimp paste to your liking.
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and fry until golden brown for 15-20 seconds. Add the meat mixture to the pan, stir it, and let it cook for 6-7 minutes. Stir a few times.
- Add palm sugar, fish sauce, and water. Simmer over low heat until most water has reduced the mixture to a thick consistency.
- Turn the heat off and adjust the seasoning to taste to create a perfect blend of flavors. Garnish with cilantro stems and scoop the dip into a small serving bowl with steamed vegetables and pork rind.
Notes
- A food processor makes the pork mixture quick and easy to grind if mortar and pestle are unavailable. Follow the cooking instructions for making the pork mixture as in steps 1-3 above.
- Use a wooden spoon for stirring, turning, and scrapping the mixture in the mortar to get all the pieces pounded into a smooth paste.
- To extract even more flavor for the dip, add the water to the mortar and swoop it around with a pestle to scrap off all the flavors from the meat mixture. Talk about a scrappy kitchen hack! Don't waste flavors here! (:
- Adjust the heat level by varying the number of dried chilies.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Thai
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Suwanee says
Thank you so much, Kim! So delighted to hear this. Enjoy it with your family. (:
Kim R says
I just made this tonight and it’s VERY close in taste to my Thai Mother in Law’s recipe. My husband said it was delicious!
Suwanee says
So happy to hear, enjoy, Jamie!
Jamie says
Just lovely!
We made it for our NY charcuterie board and it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Healthy World Cuisine says
One of favorite grazing meals. Perfect for gatherings or just snacking. Packed full of flavor.