[Thailand Recipes] Nam Prik Noom - Young Chili Dip

After 44 years of marriage, my dad still manages to surprise my mom. It might not be in big ways like when they were first dating, but in smaller everyday things.

Like when he overheard me telling my mom about this Thai young chili dip known as nam prik noom on the phone. I had just learned how to make it and was telling her about how roasting the jalapenos, banana peppers, garlic, and shallots really brings out their flavors. After hearing this, my dad stealthily snuck outside to pick some jalapenos from the garden and then overnighted them to me, all without my mom’s knowledge. It wasn’t until I called the next day to thank my mom for the wonderfully thoughtful package that she had any idea what he had been up to!

Of course, after receiving these gorgeous home-grown jalapenos, I had to put them to good use! I whipped one or two into some Thai-style fried eggs, but the majority were earmarked for this delicious young chili dip that I had been telling my mom about. The dip is really very easy to make and oh, it’s so good! It’s composed of just jalapenos, banana peppers, garlic, and shallots, but somehow the flavor is much more complex than that.

You start by roasting or grilling these ingredients, whole and unpeeled.

Once everything is nice and charred and flavorful, you pound them together to form a paste similar in consistency to, say, guacamole. Then fish sauce is added to taste and the dip is topped with some coarsely-chopped cilantro. I’ve also found that I like adding sesame seeds for some additional texture, but if you’re going for an authentic version, it’s probably best to skip this.

What results is a super flavorful, somewhat spicy dip that’s the perfect complement to steamed or fresh vegetables. It is also generally served with some deep-fried pork rinds (cab moo /แคบหมู), which is something that the boyfriend reminds me of every time I serve it to him with just vegetables. And, as with most Thai dishes, pair all of the above with some jasmine rice and you have a wonderful meal!

Whatever way you eat this young chili dip, it’s a great way to use home-grown jalapenos! (Thanks, Dad :))

Young Chili Dip | Nam Prik Noom | น้ำพริกหนุ่ม

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 heads garlic
4 large shallots
1 jalapeno pepper
4 banana peppers
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
See a Quick Sausage Alfredo Recipe

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to high broil. Place the whole garlic, shallots, and peppers in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them at the 15 minute mark. Take out and let cool for ~1 hour.

2. Once cooled, take the charred skin off the peppers, de-seed them, and cut each into 4-5 pieces.

3. Unwrap the garlic cloves and squeeze the cooked garlic into a bowl. Do the same for the shallots.

4. You should have approximately 1/4 cup of each of the peppers, garlic, and shallots. Combine the 1/4 cup of each in your mortar and pestle and pound into a paste.

5. Add the fish sauce and adjust to your tastes.

6. Sprinkle coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and toasted sesame seeds (if using) on top. Enjoy with fresh or steamed vegetables, deep fried pork rinds, and jasmine rice.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Rachelcooksthai.com. Thanks so much!