Nam Prik Ong
NorthernThai Pork And Tomato Chili DipMy family comes fromthe north of Thailand, and this was always a staple dish when my grandmotherwas making a fancy Northern dinner. There is a method of eating in the Norththat uses sticky rice as both starch and utensil. You surround the table withspicy, savory and sour pickles and meat dishes. You go in with your sticky riceand have a communal meal. It’s a very intimate way to enjoy a meal with yourfamily. This dish is fun because it’s kind of like American Sloppy Joes meetsincredibly spicy Thai deliciousness. You can also serve it like a fancy crudité.
Ingrediënten
- 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 msg
- ¼ 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
- ¼ 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
- ½ 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
- ½ cabbage leaves separated for dipping (lightly steaming the cabbage is customary and delicious)
Instructies
- 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
