What is Prik Nam Pla?

Prik means chili, while nam pla means fish sauce in Thai. Also known as nam pla prik is a famous spicy Thai dipping sauce. It has many tastes in this one sauce: sweet, spicy, sour, salty, and umami.

I was introduced to this sauce in my World Cuisines course in culinary school. It was the first I had heard of this sauce. However, after making the sauce, I recalled seeing it at Thai restaurants. “Ah, that’s what it was called!”

Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cooking. However, I substituted it with shoyu, aka soy sauce, because one of my relatives who was allergic to fish sauce wanted to try it. It was just as savory!

Prik Nam Pla Recipe

Yields: 1/2 cup

• 2 organic garlic cloves, pasted
• 3 organic Thai chilies, minced
• 4 tablespoons organic shoyu or fish sauce
• 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon organic raw cane sugar

Kitchen Equipment

• Measuring bowls, cups, and spoons
• Mixing bowls/cups/spoons for mise en place ingredients
• Cutting board
• Chef knife
• Grater
• Juicer reamer
• Airtight container

Production Steps

1. Sanitize the kitchen (sink, faucets, countertops, stovetop/oven, cupboard handles, smart devices, computer, etc.).
2. Paste garlic against a grater.
3. Wash and mince chiles.
4. Wash, slice, and juice lime.
5. Mise en place ingredients.
6. Combine and mix all ingredients.
7. Pour into an airtight container.
8. Refrigerate leftovers.
9. The sauce will keep up to a week.

Happy cooking,

FS x

References

Healthy World Cuisine (2019). Prik nam pla- The incredible Thai table condiment. Retrieved from: https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/prik-nam-pla/