Northern Thai Pork and Tomato Chili Dip (Nam Prik Ong)
A staple of Northern Thai cuisine, eaten communally with sticky rice used as both starch and utensil, surrounded by spicy, savory and sour pickles and vegetables.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp (30 ml) | canola or other high-temperature cooking oil | |
| 2-3 cloves | garlic, chopped | |
| 2 cups (416 g) | ground fatty pork, preferably large grind | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | msg |
| 1/4 cup (84 g) | red curry paste | |
| 2 tbsp (32 g) | tomato paste | |
| 2 | fresh red Thai chilies, minced (use serranos if you want a milder heat) | |
| 2 cups (400 g) | cherry or grape tomatoes, halved | |
| 1/4 cup (60 ml) | chicken stock | |
| 2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) | fish sauce | |
| 2 tbsp (30 g) | white sugar | |
| 3 | scallions, sliced on the bias | |
| 1/2 cup (8 g) | roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish | |
| — | Thai Sticky Rice | |
| 1 cup (32 g) | pork cracklings or pork rinds | |
| 1 | English cucumber, sliced into coins | |
| 1 | carrot, sliced into coins | |
| 1/2 | cabbage, leaves separated for dipping (lightly steaming the cabbage is customary and delicious) |
Instructions
My family comes from the north of Thailand, and this was always a staple dish when my grandmother was making a fancy Northern dinner. There is a method of eating in the North that uses sticky rice as both starch and utensil. You surround the table with spicy, savory and sour pickles and meat dishes. You go in with your sticky rice and have a communal meal. It's a very intimate way to enjoy a meal with your family. This dish is fun because it's kind of like American Sloppy Joes meets incredibly spicy Thai deliciousness. You can also serve it like a fancy crudite.
- Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or wok over high heat for 1 minute, or until the oil just starts to emit white smoke.
- Add the chopped garlic, pork and msg, frying and breaking up the pork until the pork is light brown and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. If you see a pool of liquid accumulate, strain it out and discard.
- Now stir in the curry paste, tomato paste and minced chilies and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Continue smashing the pastes and chilies into the pork, frying until it's fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be careful of the strong spicy fumes with the chilies in the pan; it might act like pepper spray. Add the tomatoes, constantly folding for another minute, until thoroughly combined.
- Add the stock, season with the fish sauce and sugar, and bring to a boil. Give it a taste here; if you want it more flavorful, add more fish sauce and sugar. Stir until most of the stock evaporates and the dish becomes fairly thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste again and adjust any of the seasonings if you'd like.
- Transfer to a bowl, then sprinkle with the scallions and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with sticky rice, pork rinds, sliced cucumber, carrots and lightly steamed cabbage leaves.