Thai Roasted Chili Sauce

Nam Prik Pao (Roasted Chili Paste) is a Thai chili paste made with 2 kinds of chilies, garlic, shallots, tamarind, and shrimp paste. The ingredients are roasted before blending, giving recipes a rich combination of smokey, spicy, and sweet flavors. This delicious paste is used to add flavor to foods.

Nam Prik Pao is often used to flavor Tom Yum Goong (Spicy and Sour Soup with Shrimp). It's what gives it the spicy and smokey flavor and delicious orange color.

Check out our recipe for Pat Prik Pao Mu Grob, a delicious stir-fried main dish using deep-fried pork belly. Prik Pao one of my favorite traditional Thai tastes, and I'm happy to show you how it's made.

Yield: About 1/2 Cup

Prep time: 30 - 45 Minutes

Ready in: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

About 10 - 12 Sun Dried Thai Chilies
About 20 - 25 Sun Dried Thai Hot Chilies
4 - 5 Red Shallots
3 - 4 Large Gloves Garlic
1/2 Tablespoon Thai shrimp paste
1 Tablespoon Tamarind Fruit
1/2 Tablespoon Salt
1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

Basic Directions:

1) Roast the chilies, garlic and shallots in a hot wok until slightly browned.

2) Grind the chilies and salt together until you get a fine powder. Add the garlic, shallots, tamarind and shrimp paste. Mash and grind until you get a small stiff ball of paste.

3) Fry the ball of paste in oil until the herbs and spices are loosened up and become a thin, oily paste. Let it get hot, then reduce the flame and fry slowly for about 5 minutes to soften all of the bits of chili, etc.

4) Add in the fish sauce, water, and sugar. Stir it up, let it get hot again, then cook slowly until the sugar all melts. Continue stirring so it doesn't burn, keeping the flame low so it's just bubbling a little.

5) After the sugar is all melted, let it cook slowly for about another couple of minutes. Then remove from the heat and let it cool. The paste should be thin and oily, and the oil will be sitting on top.