Whenever you go for noodles or fried rice, you will find the kruang poong on the table in front of you (or someone will bring one to your table.) It is a quartet of condiments that allow you to season your meal to your liking. One pot contains caster (superfine) sugar; one nam pla or nam pla prik (fish sauces); one crushed dried roasted chillies; and one holds prik nam som, or vinegar with chillies.
Makes about 400 ml/14 fl oz
15–20 sliced long red chillies
6–8 garlic cloves
1½ tsp caster (superfine) sugar
½ tsp salt
425 ml/15 fl oz/generous 1¾ cups white vinegar
Lightly pound the chilles in a pestle and mortar along with the garlic.
In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar over a low heat, then pour the vinegar mixture over the chilli and garlic mixture and leave to steep.
Stored in a sterilized jar, this should keep for about a fortnight.
You could also just whoosh it all in a mini chopper or blender, once combined.
I have based this recipe on one I found on the brilliant Vegan Miam food and travel website and blog. It has proved a life-saver, especially when catering. For years, I was reluctant to offer Thai options for vegan clients, because although you can do a lot with soy sauce, I always felt I wasn’t able to deliver food that tasted like I feel Thai food should taste.
This, however, gets as close as anything I’ve found to recreating properly the salty-funky quality that fish sauce provides.
Makes about 150 ml/5¼ fl oz
¾ tsp palm sugar
60 ml/2 fl oz/¼ cup warm water
60 ml/2 fl oz/¼ cup pineapple juice
60 ml/2 fl oz/¼ cup light soy sauce
salt, to taste
First, dissolve the palm sugar in the warm water. Add the pineapple and soy sauce, followed by the salt, to taste.
If the palm sugar hasn’t dissolved completely, strain the sauce through a sieve (strainer).
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nam Pla Prik or Prik Nam Pla (confusing, I know!) is the ubiquitous condiment, found on every Thai table. It’s so simple to make and, boy, what a difference a drop makes!
I offer two versions here. The first is the classic, living up to its name: chillies in fish sauce. The second is a popular variation from southern Thailand.
Makes enough for one meal
6 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
10–12 Thai bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
Stir the chillies through the nam pla and serve. Apply liberally!
10–12 Thai bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced
1–2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
¼–½ lime, finely sliced and cut into tiny segments
6 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
Stir the chillies, garlic and lime segments through the nam pla and serve.
This fresh pickle is served with so many things, from Tod Mun Pla (Fish Cakes, see here) to Gaeng Kari (Yellow Curry, see here). It’s sharp, fresh and really easy to make. If you’re making this to go with Tod Mun Fukthong (Pumpkin Fritters, see here), leave out the cucumber, shallots and peanuts, and replace the red chillies with green ones.
Makes enough for one meal
100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup vinegar
100 g/3½ oz/½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
a good pinch of salt
½ cucumber, quartered lengthways and finely sliced
2–3 Thai shallots or 1 regular shallot, peeled and finely sliced
1–2 mild red chillies, sliced
1 tbsp crushed unsalted peanuts (optional)
a small handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish
Heat the vinegar and sugar in a small pan over a low heat with 2 tbsp water until the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Add the cucumber and shallots to the cooled mixture just before serving (it will go soggy otherwise), and then add the chillies and peanuts, if using. Garnish with coriander leaves.
~ This goes very well with satay and fish cakes, and they in turn are great for picnics. Just take the liquid and the chopped vegetables in separate containers and combine them at the last minute. ~
This goes with grilled or fried fish and meat, noodle soups, sticky rice – basically anything. The toasted rice gives it that lovely, nutty flavour.
Makes enough for one meal
3 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
3 tbsp lime juice
1–2 tbsp ground roasted chilli powder
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 small Thai shallots or 1 regular shallot, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp toasted rice powder (see tip on here)
½ tsp roasted chilli flakes
½ tsp palm sugar
In a small bowl, stir the ingredients together. Set aside until needed.
This version includes tamarind, which gives the sauce a rounder, sweet-sour flavour.
Makes enough for one meal
3 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp tamarind paste (purée)
1 Thai shallot or ½ regular shallot, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp toasted rice powder (see tip on here)
½ tsp palm sugar
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
In a small bowl, stir together the liquid ingredients, followed by the shallot, rice, palm sugar and chilli powder. Finally, stir in the fresh coriander and set aside until needed.
My friend, Da, who lives in southern Thailand, made this nam jim, or dipping sauce, for us to take on an island picnic. It was the year after the tsunami had wreaked havoc on the area. But it had also brought with it the clearest ocean seen in years. We piled into Gop’s boat and motored miles off the coast, to the Burmese banks. We rolled chickens in sea water and turmeric, built a fire to cook them, shucked oysters, drank beer, ate the chicken dipped in this sauce, and had a day so magical it couldn’t possibly be replicated.
Try this with steamed or grilled fish or with the Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken, see here), and definitely serve a batch with the Yang Talay (Grilled Seafood, see here).
Trust me when I tell you, this is seriously HOT! The initial recipe has TWICE as many bird’s eyes with just a dash more of everything else... Feel free to reduce (or increase, if you’re feeling brave) the number of chillies.
Makes enough for one meal
5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
15 Thai bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 large lime, sliced and cut into small triangles along the segments’ lines
1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (optional)
In a pestle and mortar, gently pound the garlic and chillies until they’re nearly a paste but still retain some texture. The more finely you pound the chilli, the hotter the sauce will be. Add the nam pla, lime juice and lime pieces, and stir together gently. Now add the sugar and a dash of water, if needed. Combine well, so that the sugar dissolves. Add the coriander, if using, and serve.
This is the ubiquitous dip for seafood found across Thailand. Why it’s called nam jim seafood as opposed to nam jim talay, I have no idea. But it is. It’s a mystery…
Makes enough for one meal
6 green Thai bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2–3 coriander (cilantro) roots (see here), roughly chopped
a pinch of salt
2–3 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
2–3 tbsp lime juice
1–2 tsp palm sugar or caster (superfine) sugar, to taste
Pound the chillies, garlic, coriander roots and salt to a paste. Add the nam pla, lime juice and sugar, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust to suit your palate – sharper, sweeter, saltier: these sauces are not an exact science, so shape it to your taste and around the quality and strength of your ingredients.
Add a splash of water to thin the sauce, if needed.
Serve with grilled (broiled), fried or steamed fish, prawns (shrimp) or squid.
Khun Jao Fa is another of my Thai Food Heroes. He’s the executive assistant manager at the Tamarind Village Hotel in Chiang Mai, where – if you’re fortunate – you can take his cooking class. This fabulous dipping sauce is his invention. I’ve cut back on the chilli and added some fresh coriander (cilantro) to soften and brighten it a little – but beware! It is still a spicy little dip.
Makes enough for one meal
3 coriander (cilantro) roots (see here), cut into chunks
3–4 garlic cloves, peeled
2–4 Thai bird’s eye chillies (see tip)
85 g/3 oz peanut brittle, broken into pieces
2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
2 tbsp warm water (you may need a little more)
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
In a pestle and mortar, bash and grind the coriander root, garlic and chilli into a smooth paste. Add the peanut brittle, and grind to a coarse texture, mixing it into the other ingredients as you go. Then add the nam pla, lime juice, sugar and water, and stir them into the sauce. Finally, stir in the chopped coriander. Turn the sauce out into a small bowl, and serve.
~ If you would like to tone down the spice even further, deseed the chillies before you pound them into the paste. ~
Hailing from the north of Thailand, this is made with mild and fruity num or banana chillies, which can prove hard to find outside Thailand. I’ve found that the best substitutes are Hungarian wax chillies, Turkish Sivri, Anaheims or Poblanos. I sometimes add Thai bird’s eyes, too. It’s not traditional, but I like the kick, especially if I’m serving it with Kap Moo (Pork Scratchings, see here) or Moo Yang Pee Kay (My Grilled Pork, see here).
Serves 4–6
Photographed opposite, centre right
4 Thai round aubergines (eggplants), halved
3 large mild green chillies, halved
1 green Thai bird’s eye chilli (optional)
6 garlic cloves, peeled
4 Thai shallots or 2 regular shallots, peeled and halved
2 coriander (cilantro) roots (see here)
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of caster (superfine) sugar
1–2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
juice of ½ lime
a good pinch of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
In individual aluminum-foil or banana-leaf parcels, roast the aubergines, chillies, garlic, shallots and coriander roots in a dry frying pan (skillet) until soft, about 15 minutes – turning from time to time. You want them to take on a grilled-like colouring, so open the parcels occasionally to see how they’re doing. Alternatively, pop them all on soaked wooden skewers and cook over a griddle (grill) pan or barbecue (outdoor grill) until charred and soft.
Once cooked, let cool slightly. At this point, some people peel the large chillies and aubergine. I prefer not to – I like the flecks of char. Pound them together, with a good pinch of salt, in a pestle and mortar. You want a chunky, textured dip. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Taste for balance and serve with your choice of accompaniments.
The Akha are an indigenous people who crossed over into Thailand, Laos and Myanmar from China in the early twentieth century, with many settling in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. It’s a place I love, and I spend a lot of time far up in the mountains of the Golden Triangle amongst the coffee and tea plantations, scudding clouds and green, green forest.
This is a really simple, everyday relish. The Akha do not use fish sauce, so this is one of those things that happens to be both delicious and vegan.
Serves 4–6
Photographed opposite, centre left
8–12 cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
4 red Thai bird’s eye chillies
3 Thai shallots or 1½ regular shallots
1 stick lemongrass, finely chopped
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp yellow beans, drained or 1 sheet of fermented bean curd, toasted and crushed
juice of ½ lime, or more to taste
a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
1 spring onion (scallion), trimmed and finely sliced
Char-grill the tomatoes, garlic, chillies and shallots until nicely blackened. Set them aside to cool. Once cool, peel them, but don’t worry too much about getting all the charred skin off
In a pestle and mortar, pound the lemongrass and the salt together, or pop into a mini chopper. Add the tomatoes, chillies, garlic, shallots, yellow beans or bean curd sheet and the lime juice. Pound or blitz it together, then taste and add more salt or lime juice if needed. Stir through the coriander and the spring onions and serve with some raw vegetables and boiled eggs.
Shrimp paste is a quintessentially Thai flavour. It lurks in greater or lesser proportions in all kinds of dishes, from curry pastes on. And it is a taste you either get or you don’t. My friend Valerie loathes it. Fortunately, my husband loves it.
Serves 4–6
2 tbsp kapi (shrimp paste)
12 garlic cloves, peeled
9 Thai bird’s eye chillies, plus extra to garnish
20 pea aubergines (pea eggplants)
5 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
1½ tbsp dried prawns (shrimp), whizzed in a blender
1 tbsp palm sugar
a selection of vegetables, to serve: lightly steamed cabbage and/or pumpkin, winged beans, long beans, cucumber, boiled eggs and/or the Cha Om (Acacia Leaf Omelette, see here)
First roast the kapi (shrimp paste): wrap it in some aluminium foil or softened banana leaf (see here) and heat it gently in a dry wok or frying pan (skillet) for 3–5 minutes. This really releases its flavour.
In a large, heavy pestle and mortar pound the garlic, shrimp paste and chillies together until you get a paste. Add half of the pea aubergines and crush gently. Then add the lime juice, nam pla, dried shrimp and palm sugar, and mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the pea aubergines and stir through. Then add a little warm water to bring it to the required texture – you want a soft dropping consistency.
Place in a small bowl and garnish with extra bird’s eye chillies.
In general, nam priks are exceptionally spicy. This is the exception to the rule. It’s sweet, fragrant and mild.
Serves 4–6
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 Thai shallots or 1 regular shallot, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1½ heaped tsp good-quality red curry paste
125 g/4½ oz minced (ground) pork
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
a selection of raw vegetables, to serve: cucumber, pumpkin, long beans, winged beans and blanched cabbage are all terrific
Heat the oil in a wok until it shimmers. Add the shallots, followed by the garlic, and fry, stirring all the time until golden brown. Stir the curry paste into the oil, cooking it out until it’s fragrant. Then add the pork, and stir-fry until it’s cooked through. Add the tomatoes and stir through. Then quickly add the nam pla, lime juice and sugar. Stir-fry for a couple more minutes. Serve in a small bowl, surrounded by the vegetables.
Salted eggs are a great stand by to have in the fridge – you can buy them hard-boiled and ready to use in most Asian stores.
Serves 4–6
4 salted eggs
6 garlic cloves
½–1 tsp kapi (shrimp paste)
1 tbsp palm sugar
a good splash of nam pla (fish sauce)
1–2 tbsp lime juice
2 red bird’s eye chillies
Peel the salted eggs and remove the whites from the yolks. Crumble the yolks and set aside. Discard the rest.
Using a pestle and mortar, pound the chillies and the garlic to a paste. Add the kapi and the palm sugar and stir into the chilli and garlic mixture. Add the nam pla and the lime juice and stir them in, too. Finally, add the crumbled egg yolks and stir in so that the nam prik is well mixed but still has texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Turn out and serve with Thai pork scratchings and blanched vegetables.
Most people thinking about drinking with Thai food will immediately head beer-wards. Or soft drink-wards. Or for a long and icy whisky soda. And there is nothing wrong with that – I love a cold ale or a tart glass of lemonade with my meal. But I really love wine with Thai food. And red wine at that.
‘Red wine?’ you say. ‘What are you talking about?’ The conventional, lazy sommelier pairing wine with Thai would guide you towards a Gewürztraminer or a Riesling. They’re not completely wrong.
No. Scratch that. They are very, very wrong. Unless you like that, in which case, okay. Knock yourself out.
The thing is that there’s no tradition of wine drinking in Thailand, so there’s no conventional thinking on food pairings. Which means you can do what the hell you like.
My friend Kris Yenbamroong, who owns the Night+Market restaurants in Los Angeles, is a huge wine and Thai advocate. So much so, that he says he conceived the first Night+Market as a wine bar before anything else. His main pairing observation holds: with the robust flavours of Thai food, you don’t want a drink that’s overly complicated. To which I would add that you don’t want one that’s big on the tannins, either.
Of course, all wine opinion is profoundly subjective. But I urge you to try a few things to find out what you like. I lean towards the Austrian grape variety Grüner Veltliner for a solid white – it can stand up to a gaeng som, for which it has my utmost respect. Chenin Blanc always performs well. Soft, untannic Gamays and Cabernet Franc perform well with grilled (broiled) food.
But I do love my red, and I find juicy Argentine Malbecs particularly rewarding. My favourite reds with Thai are Shiraz or Shiraz/Viognier blends. They tend to be ripe, friendly, genuine wines. And if I had to pick just one, it would be a wine made by the legendary Bert Salomon in the Finniss River region of South Australia, a wine allegedly created to go with Thai food. Coincidentally, it just happens to be called Baan.
