Prik Nam Som is the go-to Thai chili vinegar sauce loved by all in Thailand! This easy condiment combines fiery Thai chilis with tangy vinegar and is perfect for jazzing up noodle soups, stir-fries, and countless other dishes. Give it a try and elevate your meals with a little zing!
More Thai sauces you'll love here. Thai chili oil, Nam Prik Pao, Thai chili flakes, easy Pad Thai sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, Thai green chili sauce and Prik Nam Pla sauce.
Read more about helpful Thai kitchen resources as well as helpful Thai cooking tips here.
Jump to:
- What is Prik Nam Som?
- Nam Som (Prik Dong) in Thailand
- Why Prik Nam Som?
- Ingredients for Making Nam Som Recipe
- Optional ingredients to add to your Nam Som
- How to Make Prik Nam Som
- Recipes Using Thai Chili Vinegar Sauce
- Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- How Long Does Prik Nam Som Last?
- Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
- Variations & Substitutes
- Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Thai Chili Sauces You'll Love
- Prik Nam Som (Thai Pickled Chili Vinegar Sauce)
- More Thai Recipes
What is Prik Nam Som?
Prik Nam Som is a delightful Thai Chili vinegar sauce. It's made by combining chopped Thai red chilis with white vinegar. To mix things up, you can use a pinch of salt, sugar, garlic, or even water to create a unique flavor.
This sauce is also called Nam Prik Dong in Thai, with the word Dong meaning pickled or the process of being pickled.
Nam Som (Prik Dong) in Thailand
In Thailand, you'll notice that nearly every Thai street food stall and noodle shop always has a cute little set of condiments on every table.
Even sit-down and more formal Thai restaurants have this set of 4 or more items on each restaurant table.
Chili, sugar, pickled Thai chilies, garlic oil, ground white pepper, and crushed peanuts are waiting for you to enhance your dishes.
Every street noodle dish needs these as their perfect accompaniments!
Thai people often use these condiments to add flavor to their meals after they've ordered. Nam Som is always available. It's a common practice in street food stalls and restaurants alike.
So, the next time you try Thai noodles, feel free to season them with these delicious toppings!
Why Prik Nam Som?
- It's easy! Only 3 ingredients are needed; you can jazz up many Thai recipes.
- Customizable. You can customize the spice level and tanginess using less chilis and vinegar!
- Mix it with garlic slices for extra flavor infusion, or leave it as it is.
- It lasts a long time! They are kept at room temperature and last longer in the fridge!
Ingredients for Making Nam Som Recipe
White vinegar. Rice vinegar can be used as a substitute
Thai chilis. Red peppers are used more commonly than green peppers. Either way will work. Read more about essential fresh Thai herbs here.
Salt. It will help with preserving the chilis for a longer shelf life.
Optional ingredients to add to your Nam Som
- Garlic cloves. Add thinly sliced garlic for added flavor.
- Sugar. Some recipes use sugar to help round out the sourness of vinegar. Use white sugar instead of brown sugar for this recipe.
- Water. If the vinegar is too tangy, dilute it with water. Use water up to ¼ cup in this recipe.
How to Make Prik Nam Som
This recipe is so easy. It's almost unbelievable!
1. Sliced fresh Thai chilies into small pieces and place them in a small bowl.
2. Add the salt and vinegar to the bowl. Whisk well until the salt is melted.
3. Let it sit at room temperature for the vinegar and salt to soften the chilis. That's it! Told you it was easy! (;
Recipes Using Thai Chili Vinegar Sauce
- Pad See Ew is a Thai noodle stir fry dish with sweet dark soy sauce and Thai seasonings.
- Rad na is a wide noodle with a gravy dish. Add a generous amount of Nam Som or Prik Dong into your gravy dish for a tangy kick.
- Khao Tom. Add some flavors to Thai breakfast rice soup.
- Use it in fried rice dishes! Crab fried rice, yellow curry fried rice, Thai basil fried rice, Thai shrimp fried rice, and Thai vegetarian fried rice are perfect rice dishes to pair with Nam Prik Dong.
Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
- For spiciness control, adjust as needed for your spice tolerance level.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different chili varieties for a unique twist.
- This recipe is perfect for meal prep! Just store a big batch in a pint jar for later use.
- Double or triple the ingredients to have even more on hand. Check out the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.
How Long Does Prik Nam Som Last?
- Prik Nam Som can stay fresh for a really long time, thanks to the vinegar and salt. They naturally preserve the ingredients and prevent bacteria from spoiling it.
- You can keep them at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for up to two months!
Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
A glass jar is handy for storing the sauce, and a recipe card can guide the culinary journey.
Variations & Substitutes
- Use different variations of peppers to play around with the spice level. Though Thai peppers are the traditional recipe for making this Thai vinegar sauce, play around with Serrano peppers, jalapenos, and other fresh peppers that can be used.
- Add thinly sliced garlic for a kick of extra flavor.
Storage
- To make sure your Nam Som stays delicious, simply store it in an airtight container and use a clean spoon whenever you want to sprinkle some chili pieces on your favorite soups, curries, or noodle dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but the lime juice will not be as tangy as the vinegar.
In Thai cuisine, "Prik" refers to chili peppers, emphasizing the spicy element in various dishes.
In Thai cuisine, "Prik" refers to chili peppers, emphasizing the spicy element in various dishes.
No. Use those for making Thai chili oil or in other recipes instead. It is best to use fresh Thai chile for this recipe.
Thai chili sauce offers a harmonious blend of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors, creating a delightful taste sensation.
The four essential Thai condiments are fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Nam Prik.
Related Thai Chili Sauces You'll Love
- Nam Pla Prik Recipe. A most common and basic Thai sauce with chilis, fish sauce, and part lime juice and water mixture.
- Thai chili oil. Another Thai relish for added spicy kick to your dishes.
- How to make Thai chili flakes. An easy one-ingredient recipe!
- Palm sugar and how to use it in Thai cooking
- Jeow Som, a Lao dipping sauce
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Print
Prik Nam Som (Thai Pickled Chili Vinegar Sauce)
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Prik Nam Som is the go-to Thai chili vinegar sauce loved by all in Thailand! This easy condiment combines fiery Thai chilis with tangy vinegar and is perfect for jazzing up noodle soups, stir-fries, and countless other dishes. Give it a try and elevate your meals with a little zing!
Ingredients
- 3-10 Thai long chilis
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sliced fresh Thai chilies into small pieces and place them in a small bowl.
- Add the salt and vinegar to the bowl. Whisk well until the salt is melted.
- Let it sit at room temperature for the vinegar and salt to soften the chilis. That's it! Told you it was easy! (;
Notes
- For spiciness control, adjust as needed for your spice tolerance level.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different chili varieties for a unique twist.
- This recipe is perfect for meal prep! Just store a big batch in a pint jar for later use.
- Double or triple the ingredients to have even more on hand. Check out the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: none
- Category: Sauces
- Method: no cookie
- Cuisine: Thai
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C
This IS the easiest chili sauce recipe! And so addictive. Thank you!