Pete's Food Blog

30. Aug, 2021

Pete's Nam Phrik sauce

I know shrimp paste divides opinions, but really, if you can get over it's smell, when raw, it really does add a welcome and distinctive flavour. Leave it out at your peril!

Ingredients:

60ml sunflower-, rapeseed - or canola oil (more if necessary)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1 tbl fresh ginger, grated

3 cm lemon grass, outer leaf removed and crushed in a pestle and mortar.

3 tablespoons crushed red chili flakes ( I made my own from dried cascabel, ancho and chipotle chillies - with seeds)

 1 tsp shrimp paste

2 tbl fish sauce

3 tbl soft brown sugar

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 1/2 tbl lime juice

1 tbl water, or as needed.

Method:

Fry the shallots, ginger and lemon grass in oil until fragrant and golden, add the garlic and fry a further minute. Remove the "solids" leaving the oil in the pan.

Using a stick blender or pestle and mortar, combine the chilli flakes with the shrimp paste, fish sauce, sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, water and fried shallots mixture. Using a low heat, fry off the paste for 10 mins. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding a little more water (thinner) or oil (gloupier).

Similarly add more sugar (sweeter), tamarind (more sour) or fish sauce (saltier) to taste. 

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge, keeps for weeks if you don't eat it all!