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Nam prik pao (Thai chilli jam)
Nam prik pao (น้ำพริกเผา): sweet, smoky roasted chilli jam, vegan
Every Thai kitchen keeps a jar of this dark, glossy chilli jam: it goes into tom yum and yam salads, onto plain rice and omelettes, and Bangkok office workers spread it on toast. The chillies, shallots and garlic are fried until deeply golden, then cooked down with tamarind and palm sugar, so it tastes sweet, sour and smoky rather than just hot. Most shop jars contain dried shrimp and fish sauce; this one uses tamari and a little extra shallot for depth, so it is vegan. For the traditional version, fry 2 tbsp dried shrimp with the garlic and swap the tamari for fish sauce. Chef's tip: take the garlic out as soon as it turns pale gold; burnt garlic is the most common reason chilli jam tastes bitter.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- ¾ cup neutral oil
- 5 ½ oz shallotsthinly sliced
- 2 ⅞ oz garlicthinly sliced
- 1 oz dried long red chilliesstalks and seeds removed, snipped into pieces
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulpthick, seedless
- 2 ⅛ oz palm sugargrated
- 1 tbsp tamari
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat ¾ cup neutral oil in a wok over a medium heat. Fry 5 ½ oz shallots, stirring, until evenly golden and crisp, 8–10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
10 minStep 2: Fry 2 ⅞ oz garlic in the same oil until pale gold, about 2–3 minutes, and lift out at once; it keeps darkening off the heat.
3 minStep 3: Fry 1 oz dried long red chillies for 30–40 seconds, just until they darken and smell toasty, then lift out. Turn off the heat and keep the oil.
1 minStep 4: Blend or pound the shallots, garlic and chillies with 4 tbsp of the frying oil to a thick, coarse paste.
Step 5: Return the paste to the wok with the rest of the oil over a low heat. Stir in 3 tbsp tamarind pulp, 2 ⅛ oz palm sugar, 1 tbsp tamari, ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp water.
Step 6: Cook gently, stirring often, until the jam turns a deep brick red, thickens and the oil pools on top, 10–15 minutes. It thickens more as it cools.
15 minStep 7: Cool and spoon into a clean jar with its oil on top. It keeps in the fridge for a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nam prik pao (Thai chilli jam) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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