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Bowl of Thai Chili Dipping Sauce (Nam Phrik Num)

Thai Roasted Chili Dip (Nam Phrik Num)

Susie Thompson
I was too young to eat this when my mother and aunties made it at my grandmother's house. I watched them char the vegetables over the charcoal grill, the green chilies and shallots blistering and blackening, the smoky smell rising and carrying across the yard, and I understood that something important was happening even before I understood what it was. As an adult I finally tasted it and understood completely. This was the sauce that sat quietly alongside everything else and made it all more itself. That is still exactly what it is. Make it. Put it in the center of the table. Watch what it does to everything around it.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Sides
Cuisine Thai
Servings 4 servings
Calories 25 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 10 green chilies preferably Thai green chilies
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 5 shallots
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Roast the Vegetables
    To prepare the roasted green chilies, garlic, and shallots, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the green chilies, garlic cloves, and shallots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave the skins on the garlic cloves to protect them from burning. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes or until the chilies have charred skins, and the shallots and garlic are soft and caramelized.
  • Peel and Prep
    Once the vegetables are roasted, it is essential to allow them to cool down to room temperature. Next, peel the garlic and shallots, and carefully remove the skins from the chilies.
    Do not rinse the vegetables. The char that clings to the flesh is part of the flavor.
  • Mash the Ingredients
    Following the roasting of the chilies, garlic, and shallots, use the mortar and pestle or food processor to mix the ingredients until they form a coarse paste.
  •  Season the Dip
    Transfer the mashed mixture to a bowl, gently stir in the fish sauce, freshly squeezed lime juice, and finely chopped cilantro. Then, carefully season the mixture with salt according to your taste preferences.
  • Serve
    Serve at room temperature with sticky rice, fresh vegetables, and grilled meats alongside.

Notes

The charring must be genuine. Not softened, not lightly browned, genuinely charred, the skins blackened and blistered, the flesh inside soft and smoky. The charring is where the entire character of this sauce is built. Vegetables that are only partially charred produce a sauce that tastes like roasted vegetables with chili. Vegetables that are fully charred produce Nam Phrik Num, deep, smoky, complex, the kind of thing that makes people ask what is in it. Give the charring stage the time it needs.
Do not rinse the charred vegetables under water. The char that clings to the flesh after peeling is part of the flavor. Rinsing washes away the whole point of the charring step. Peel the skin off dry. Accept the slightly blackened flesh. That blackening is correct.
The texture should be rough. A smooth Nam Phrik Num is not Nam Phrik Num. The mortar produces the right texture: rough, chunky, with visible pieces distributed through the sauce. Stop pounding before it becomes smooth.
Taste the sauce before it goes to the table and taste it again after it has sat for ten minutes. The flavors settle and integrate as the sauce rests. Make it at least fifteen minutes before serving. It improves with a little time.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbsCalories: 25kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gSodium: 200mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
Keyword Thai Chili Dipping Sauce
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