This dish is a specialty of North Thailand - a Chiang Mai menu would be incomplete without it.
It's best described as a "Thai pork bolognaise", although that short-changes both the Italian and the Thai cuisines in its generalisation.
It gets used a few different ways.
Most common is a dip, where it gets surrounded by healthy greens, raw vegetables and usually some light crunchy prok crackling known locally as 'kap moo'.
That is what I have pictured here.
The other use is for "kao soy nam kua" - the Chiang Rai and Laos version of rice noodle soup.
Like any rustic regional cuisine, the ingredients are readily available, either grown in the backyard, or picked up inexpensively and bursting with goodness at the many street stalls that spring up mid afternoon in every ville around Asia.
The dish is simple to make, has few ingredients, and an awesome flavour.
Try it, and impress your victims.
Ingredients
200g / 1/2lb lean pork. (chop finely or mince it)
300g / 3/4lb fresh ripe red tomato
50g red shallots (yes, you can use onion)
4-5 garlic cloves, fresh
salt to taste
4-5 leaves of cilantro (flat leaf coriander)
1-2 each spring onion
Method
Peel and crush the garlic
Chop shallots, pork, tomato,
Pound dry chilli and garlic together
Saute pork in a little oil
Add the chilli and garlic
Next add shallot, tomato, and a little water for cooking so it doesn't dry or burn
Season with salt to taste, add a little MSG if you use it. Most kitchens in Thailand use it, but very sparingly
Cook until tomato is soft and it looks like a very sexy, slightly spicy bolognaise sauce.
It will probably take around 15 to 20 minutes, so it pips the spaghetti sauce on preparation time, and has the added bonus of being just as tasty, albeit in a spicy, redolent Southeast Asian way.
To serve it, put some fresh, healthy green vegetables.
In Thailand they normally put veggies which we in the West ALWAYS eat cooked.
Don't worry - the raw veggies should provide complimentary flavours, textures and balance to the rich spicy dip. Common raw veggies to use are: Peeled cucumber, green beans or snake beans, white cabbage, green unripe baby watermelon, zucchini, and it normally gets served with the pork crackle as mentioned.
Fresh white sticky rice is great for rolling into balls and dipping in it.
Other uses?
Why not do some thing similar to the Khao Soy Nam Kua?
For 2 people you'll need:
1 litre Stock or broth. (chicken or pork. Or boiling water & stock cubes if you really must)
300g 2 serves - Thick flat rice noodles (to be authentic. But your favourite noodles will be fine)
200g Nam prik ong (1 heaped serving spoon per bowl)
1/3 cup Freshly cut coriander
1/3 cup Freshly chopped spring onion
2 tbsp Fried garlic (optional but the sheer taste is an aphrodisiac)
Blanch the noodles and whack them into two big serving bowls
Ladle the broth over them
Top with nam prik ong
Garnish with chopped coriander and spring onion
Put some fried garlic over the top, and transport yourself mentally to a street stall somewhere near the Mekhong.
Or for the non-soup aficionado?
Grilled prawns with nam prik ong dressing
Or why not pan fry, grill or barbeque some fat, juicy fresh prawns, and use the nam prik ong as a dressing, like one of my creative Isaan chefs from my Thai restaurant? Great idea, and it works a treat.
Have a great day, pork-munchers.
Now I've done all the hard work, can you give me any other suggestions for funky ways to use this great dip?
All Pics on this blog taken with my trusty compact Fuji EXR 12MP with 10X zoom)
Why not push the "spaghetti sauce"theme a bit further, and make a "lasgne al nam prik ong?
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, a good looking sauce, will make this today. Served with a pasta soup and some fresh veg.