Conference turris::cooks

    
    Nam Pla Prik						Thailand
    
                Fish sauce seasoned with lime juice and chilli
    
    You may put this on the table when you are serving any Thai meal.
    
                                 ingredients
    
    1 fresh hot red or green chilli
    4 tablespoons fish sauce
    2 tablespoons lime juice [or lemon juice]
    
                                    method
    
    Cut the chilli crossways into very fine rounds. Put in a small bowl.
    Add the fish sauce and lime juice. Stir to mix.
    
    serves 4

    
    from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
    
    [This sauce is known as "Vietnam sauce" in Thailand. It is similar
    to Sambal Oelek /. Ian .\]
    
    In Vietnam this sauce is made by pounding red chillies and salt
    in a mortar, cooking the mixture and then passing it through a sieve.
    Some countries do not bother with the cooking and straining. Others
    add a little sugar and vinegar. My method is very simple: I let a
    blender do all the work.
    
                                 Ingredients
    
    2-3 dried hot red chillies
    4 oz red pepper
    1/4 teaspoon sugar
    1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
    1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
    
                                    method
    
    Put 3 tablespoons of water in a small cup and crumble the dried
    chillies into it. Soak for 30 minutes. Coarsely chop the red pepper,
    discarding all the seeds. Combine the soaking chillies and their
    liquid with all the other ingredients in an electric blender. Blend
    until smooth.
    
    serves 4

    and a variation on the theme from Indonesia...
    
    Sambal Terasi					Indonesia 
                      Red Pepper Sauce with shrimp paste
    
    This spicy relish (or sambal) may be served with all Indonesian
    meals. It will keep for at least a week in the refridgerator. Store
    in a tightly lidded jar.
    
                                 Ingredients
    
    8 oz red pepper
    2 teaspoons shrimp [or anchovy] paste
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
    4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
    2 1/2 tablespoons lime [or lemon] juice
    
                                    method
    
    Dice the red pepper coarsely, discarding all the seeds. Put the
    red pepper, shrimp paste, salt and chilli powder in an electric
    blender. Blend until smooth.
    
    Set a wok over a medium high heat. When it is hot put in the oil.
    When the oil is heated, put in the paste from the blender. Stir
    fry for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat a little if necesary,
    until the paste turns dark red and the oil separates. Add the sugar
    and stir to mix. Take the paste off the heat and put it into a bowl.
    Beat in the lime or lemon juice. Tasta and adjust the seasoning
    if necesary.
    
    Makes about 8 fl oz (250 ml)

    
     Rep .2
    
    
      The fish sauce Ian is talking about is availble at most Oriental
     markets. If I remember correctly it's made from dried anchovies,
     lemon juice and water. I have also seen it in Shaw's supermarkets
     under the name of Noc Mam sauce in the oriental section. I buy
     mine at Joyce Chen's in 1 liter bottles under the name of fish sauce.
     In the Acton, Ma. store it is in the Thai food section. The fish
     sauce is used extensively in Thai and Vietnamese cooking.
    
    
     -mike
     

    
    Nam Prik Kaeng Dang					Thailand 
    
                               Red Curry Paste
    
           from Pieng Chom Darbanand at The Imperial Hotel, Bangkok
    
    You can freeze any paste you do not use immediately.
    
                                 ingredients
    
    7 large or 10 medium dried hot red chillis
    2" cube of fresh, or 4-6 slices of dried Galangal, or 2" cube fresh
    			ginger.
    2-3 pieces dried, or 3x1/2 inch piece of fresh kaffir lime rind
    			(optional)
    1 stick of fresh, or 2 tablespoons of dried lemon grass
    3 cloves garlic
    4-5 roots of fresh coriander
    6 shallots or 1/2 medium onion
    1 1/2 teaspoons of shrimp [or anchovy] paste
    2 teaspoons paprika
    1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
    1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
    1/16 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    
                                    method
    
    Remove and discard the seeds from the red chillies. Combine the
    chillies and the dried galangal, dried kaffir lime rind, and dried
    lemon grass (if you are using them) in a small bowl. Cover them
    with about 6 fl oz of water and set aside for 40 minutes - 1 hour.
    
    If you are using fresh galangal (or ginger), peel and coarsely chop
    it. If you are using fresh lemon grass cut it crossways into very
    fine slices, going up about 6" from the root end. Discard the
    straw-like top. Peel the garlic. Wash the coriander roots well and
    pat them dry.
    
    Combine the soaked seasonings and their soaking liquid - or their
    fresh counterparts, where applicable - with all the remaining
    ingredients in an electric blender. Blend well.
    
    Makes about 8 tablespoons.

    
    re .2: Don't know where you are, but assuming its New England try
    Joyce Chen, or in Lowell city center try the Phnomh Penh or Soth-East
    Asian Import Export stores.
    
    In London England try any Indian grocers, or almost anywhere in
    Chinatown...
    
    The Thai brand leader is "Squid Brand" which has a large picture
    of a squid on the label, but really any brand will do...
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    Nam Prik Num					Thailand 
    
                              Quick Spicy relish
    
              from the home of Kruamas Woodtikarn in Chiang Mai
    
    This relish is so good that you will want to eat it with everything
    - including crisps [aka chips in the USA] It is found only in Northern
    Thailand. In fact Thai visitors from the south buy kilos of it to
    take back home. It *IS* hot, so small portions are recomended.
    
                                 ingredients
    
    6 shallots
    3 cloves garlic
    6 fresh hot green chillies
    1/2-1 teaspoon shrimp [or anchovy] paste
    6 cherry or very small tomatoes
    1 tablespoon fish sauce [or salt to tast]
    1 tablespoon lime [or lemon] juice.
    
                                    method
    
    Pre heat the grill. Peel the shallots and garlic. On a grill rack
    lined with aluminium foil, spread out the shallots, garlic and green
    chillies in a single layer. Make a patty of the shrimp paste, if
    you are using it, and place it on the rack as well. (If you are
    using anchovy paste set it aside for now). Put the rack under the
    grill and let everything brown lightly. (This will happen quite
    quickly). Turn everything over and brown the other side. Now either
    chop up everything you have grilled, or put it all in an electric
    blender and blend briefly until you have a coarse paste. Empty the
    paste into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add them
    (as well as the anchovy paste if you are using it), the fish sauce
    (or salt) and the lime (or lemon) juice to the bowl. Mix. Taste
    to check the seasoning and adjust if necesary.
    
    serves 4-6
    

    
    [Like the nam pla prik, this is usually placed on the table when
    serving any Thai meal. /. Ian .\]
     
                               Seasoned Vinegar
    
    This seasoning is found in all the Asian countries where the Chinese
    have lived or settled - Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philipines, Malaysia,
    Thailand and Indonesia. Of course the actual vinegar varies not
    only from country to country but often from village to village.
    Diners usually add just a few drops of the hot vinegar to their
    food. If they want to they can also add a few chilli slices from
    the vinegar.
    
                                 ingredients
    
    2 fresh hot green or red chillies (or one of each)
    4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
    
                                    method
    
    Cut the chillies crossways into very thin rounds. Put the vinegar
    into a very small bowl. Add the chillies and let them steep for
    at least 30 minutes before serving.
                      
    serves 4

    
    re .5: you are quite correct of course. The Thai generic name is
    "Nam Pla" - I think the name you quote is Vietnamese. The recipe
    is much as you say. However like Soy sauce it is fermented: the
    ingredients are mixed in a very large mortar and pestle and ground
    to a paste then everything, plus water is placed in a gigantic
    earthenware pot and buried in the damp earth to maintain proper
    temperature conditions for 3-6 months. At the end of which time
    it is sieved through a very fine filter and bottled. Older Thai
    (and Vietnamese) families still make their own (my mother in law
    is very proud of the row of pots in her basement - she uses a lot
    because she runs a restaurant).
    
    /. Ian .\

    
    
     Rep .10
    
      Yes Ian, the name Noc Mam is Vietnamese. My Vietnamese friend
    who got me started with Nems and the fish sauce said there was 
    as many recipes for fish sauce as there is people in Viet Nam.
    Your mother-in-law's basement must have a very fragrant smell
    to say the least. ;-) 
    
      Do you have a recipe for Sambal Badjack by any chance??? It's
    the sambal made with the fried chiles and dry shrimp. The couple
    of tries I've made so far haven't been too successful to say the
    least. 
    
    
     -mike
    

    
    re Sambal Badjack - I'll try, but Indonesian recipes are a bit out
    of my line - but I have a few sources to try.
    
    A propos of nothing, but since I mentioned my Mother-in-Law's place
    I'll continue - I was over there last fall for a while, and got
    to stay with the in laws for a month. They have a place almost
    dead-center in Khorat (or Nakhon Ratchasima as the government likes
    it to be called nowadys), and do a good trade. The thing that would
    wear me down is that they open for business before 5 am every morning
    and don't close till after midnight - and the family don't work
    shifts! After the initial breakfast rush they go over to the local
    market and buy all the vegies, meat and fish for the day's food
    - only then do they really know what will be on the menu for the
    day.
    
    Most Thai recipes could probably be described as a masterpiece in
    the substitution of fresh ingredients: with dozens of varieties
    of mint, basil, ginger, chilli, and spices, all of which tend to
    look alike to western eyes, and of course all of which are considered
    very different by the people of the region.
    
    /. Ian .\ 

Ian,

would you (or your wife) have a recipe for Laos Sauce?  An old school 
friend of mine (Laotian) introduced me to it. It's a very hot (spicy) sauce 
that you dip "sticky rice" into.  I remember that it had a little tomato 
and scallion in it, and of course some type of extremely hot peppers. Great 
stuff!

Mike D

I started something with this one...

Firstly in northern Thailand they use nam prik num (1705.8) as the dipping sauce
for sticky rice.

My wife gave me the following isan (NE Thailand) recipe for nam prik lao..

			Nam Prik Lao

	2T		fish sauce
	'squeeze'	lime juice (~1/4 teaspoon)
	1/2 t		chili powder (to taste)
	1		cherry tomatoe, quartered and squeezed
	pinch		sugar
	1		scallion cut into thin rounds

mix... enjoy!

however she then came up with 

			Nam Prik Onh

	6		shallots, chopped
	3		cloves garlic, crushed
	6		fresh red chilies
	6		cherry tomatoes
	2T		fish sauce
	1T		lime juice
	1/2 cup		ground pork.

barely (but thoroughly) cook the pork in a little water, then strain.

Heat the grill and peel the shallots and garlic. On a grill rack lined with
aluminum foil lightly grill the shallots and garlic and chilies.

Put all the ingredients except tomatoes and chilies in a blender and blend 
thoroughly then add the chopped tomatoes and sliced chilies.

You can also make a reasonable dipping sauce by mixing the basic 'Vietnam'
red pepper sauce (1705.3) with fish sauce to taste (sauces for dipping rice 
are typically hot [spicy] and salty)

so, feel free to experiment...

/. Ian .\

>    Does anyone have a recipe for the dipping sauce usually served with
>    Peking Ravioli (AKA pot stickers) ?  I've tried combining vinegar, soy
>    sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger.  This comes out sloce, but still not
>    quite right.

regional differences abound...however, if you use a mixture of approx. 1:1
sesame chile oil and rice vinegar, you have what is used in my area for
pot stickers (your peking ravioli=my pot stickers).

The chile oil must be sesame chile oil, which I can buy in specialty food
sections of yuppy markets....you know, the markets that sell radicchio and
baby green beans for 6.50/pound.  Ditto for the rice vinegar.

Our pot stickers are served with a spicy sauce, so it may be different for
your peking ravioli....

RE: .16

There's no fixed recipe for this.  Some restaurants just leave bottles of
soy sauce, vinegar, and hot chile oil on the table to let diners mix their
own.  The sauce ingredients that you mention are close to the ones that I like
to use, only I add a little bit of minced scallion and garlic as well as ginger.
Some of the rav sauces I've had in restaurants have a bit of sugar in them,
too.

--PSW