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Sauce recipe

Nam Prik Pao (Thai Chilli Jam)

Dark, sweet, smoky Thai chilli jam made from fried shallots, garlic and dried chilli. The secret in tom yum and stir-fries.

Nam Prik Pao (Thai Chilli Jam)
The ratio
  • 3 partsShallot + garlic
  • 2 partsDried chilli
  • 1 partPalm sugar
  • 1 partTamarind + fish sauce
What you need
  • 20g large dried red chillies, seeds shaken out
  • 8 red Asian shallots, thinly sliced
  • 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp fermented shrimp paste
  • 3/4 cup (185ml) neutral oil
  • 1/4 cup (55g) grated palm sugar
  • 2 tbsp tamarind purée
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
Makes
About 250ml jar
Ready in
35
Keeps
2 months in the fridge, covered in oil
How to make it
  1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry the shallots for 5-6 minutes until golden, then lift them out. Fry the garlic for 2-3 minutes until golden and lift it out.
  2. Fry the dried chillies in the same oil for 20-30 seconds until they darken slightly. Lift them out and turn off the heat. Keep the oil.
  3. Wrap the shrimp paste in foil and toast it in a dry pan for 1 minute each side.
  4. Blend or pound the shallots, garlic, chillies and shrimp paste with 4 tbsp of the frying oil to a thick paste.
  5. Return the paste and remaining oil to the wok over low heat. Add the palm sugar, tamarind, fish sauce and water and stir for 8-10 minutes until it is dark, thick and jammy and the oil separates.
  6. Cool and spoon into a clean jar, topping it up with the oil.
About this sauce

Nam prik pao, often sold as Thai chilli jam or chilli paste in oil, is a dark red, jammy paste of dried chillies, shallots and garlic, fried until deeply browned, then cooked down with palm sugar, tamarind and fish sauce. It is sweet, smoky, a little sour and only medium hot. It is what gives tom yum goong its red colour and rich flavour.

It takes about 30 minutes and a little patience: fry each ingredient until golden, not dark brown, or the jam turns bitter. Store it under a layer of its own oil. Unlike chilli crisp oil, it's sticky and sweet, not crunchy.

What to put it on

Tom yum, stir-fried clams and seafood, fried rice, omelettes, cashew chicken and plain rice with a fried egg.

Stir a spoon into tom yum goong, fold it through khai jiao omelette or toss it with pad cha talay. Read about tamarind and fermented shrimp paste.

Uses this sauce

Recipes that call for this sauce. Make a batch and cook one of these.

Pairs well with

Dishes this sauce suits. These recipes make their own glaze or dressing, so you can swap this sauce in.