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
Scale
- 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.
- 1/3 cup shallot, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut into halved pieces (1 1/4 cup-ish)
- 8 ounces ground pork (1/2 pound)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar, brown or white sugar are fine for substitutes.
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 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