Northern-Style Pork and Tomato Dip (Nam Prik Ong)

April 10, 2016

Northern-Style Pork and Tomato Dip (Nam Prik Ong) © kvalifood.com

A classic dip from Northern Thailand (Lanna cuisine) made with ground pork, tomatoes, and dried chilies pounded into a paste. It’s often compared to a Thai Bolognese - meaty, savoury, and slightly tangy. Traditionally served as part of a kantoke feast, it works well as an appetizer with rice crackers and vegetables. Makes about 1 1/2 cups, roughly 45 minutes active time. If soaking dried chilies, allow an extra hour.

Ingredients

Yields ca. 1 1/2 cups

Chili paste

60 g shallots, cut in half lengthwise
6 cloves garlic, 3 cloves kept whole, 3 cloves finely chopped
6 large dried chilies, seeded
2-5 small dried chilies (more = hotter)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cilantro roots, (or 5-6 cilantro stems)

The dip

100 g grape tomatoes, each cut into 4-6 pieces
200 g ground pork
1 tsp shrimp paste (gapi)
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
125 ml pork (or chicken stock), unsalted, or water
2-3 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
1-2 tsp tamarind juice (or lime juice)

For serving

Cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
Fresh vegetables for dipping (carrots, cucumber, cabbage)
Sticky rice (or jasmine rice)
Crispy fried pork rind
Plain rice crackers

Directions

Grill or broil the shallots and 3 whole garlic cloves until the edges are caramelized. This step is optional but adds good flavour. Chop them into small pieces once done.

Grind the dried chilies into a powder using a spice or coffee grinder, then transfer to a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, soak the chilies in water for at least 1 hour until soft, cut them into small pieces, and pound them to a paste in the mortar.

Add the salt, cilantro roots, grilled shallots, and grilled garlic to the mortar. Pound into a rough paste - it doesn’t need to be as fine as curry paste, but there should be no large chunks. Add the grape tomatoes and crush them with the pestle to release their juices.

Add the ground pork and shrimp paste to the mortar and pound everything together thoroughly. If the mortar is too small, transfer to a bowl and knead the pork into the herb paste by hand. Pounding the raw pork with the paste forces the flavours deep into the meat, which is why this step matters.

Heat the oil in a small pan or wok over medium heat. Fry the chopped garlic (the remaining 3 cloves) until golden brown. Add the pork mixture and cook, mashing with a spatula to break up any lumps. Once the pork stops clumping, add the stock, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Stir constantly until the pork is fully cooked.

Lower the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is very thick and the tomatoes have broken down completely.

Taste and adjust. Depending on the acidity of the tomatoes, you may or may not need tamarind juice. If the dip lacks sharpness, add a small amount of tamarind or lime juice to brighten it up.

Transfer to a small bowl, garnish with cilantro, and serve warm alongside your dippers. If serving with sticky rice, roll it into bite-sized balls and press your thumb in to make a little crater for holding the dip.

Notes

Control the heat by adjusting the number of small dried chilies (2 for mild, 5 for spicy).
The dip keeps well in the fridge for a few days and reheats nicely.
Rice crackers aren’t traditional with this dip, but they work well as a convenient alternative to sticky rice.