Nam prik is a chile-based dip found all over Thailand. This version is a riff on nam prik ong, which is typically found in northern Thailand and made with pork or beef. We swapped the meat for cashews; it gives the dip a healthyish twist as well as a smoother, creamier texture.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
1
6
2
1
5
1
3
1
8
1
1
1
Preparation
Step 1
Pulse cashews in a food processor until pieces are no larger than ¼". Transfers cashews to a medium bowl (it’s okay if some of the cashews have gone all the way to powder, which will thicken the dip).
Step 2
Pulse chiles, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, lime zest, and 1 tsp. salt in food processor until very finely chopped. Scrape down sides and continue to pulse until a coarse paste forms. Transfer curry paste to a small bowl.
Step 3
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add cashews and cook, stirring often, until golden brown in most spots, 4–6 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until mixture starts to stick to bottom pot, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and a splash of water and cook, scraping any browned bits that may have stuck to bottom of pot, until tomatoes are completely broken down and mixture is thickened, 7–10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
Step 5
Transfer nam prik to a medium bowl. Top with cilantro. Serve nam prik warm with lettuce, cucumbers, mango, and eggs alongside.
Leave a Review
Reviews (19)
Back to TopYummy, one of the best recipes if you like Thai can be very spicy
Vicki Bennett
Portland Oregon
7/15/2022
I use this as a seasoning agent for Shrimp, dipping for veg (obviously) and as dukkah! This is the recipe I'd take to my grave.
Nitya
San Jose, California
11/16/2021
Delish ! I've made this again and again with less spice, you want this. Yum !
Chef Rachelle
NYC
8/4/2021
Not to be that person, but I don’t have a food processor so I made some pretty big changes to the prep and this still turned out delicious! I just added everything into a container and used my immersion blender, then threw the mixture in a pan over heat to let it get a little caramelized and develop depth of flavor. I’m currently dipping cantaloupe, green beans, and a soft egg in it, would definitely recommend. As a bonus this nam prik is Whole30 compliant if you replace the canola oil.
Anonymous
Portland, OR
8/25/2020
So delicious! Should have heeded the advice of my fellow commenters - I reduced the chilies due to what I had on hand, and I was disappointed in the spice level. Follow the recipe! I didn't have lemongrass, so I used some green curry paste I had in the fridge, which totally worked.
Anonymous
Seattle
5/27/2020
Soo good. Like another reviewer, I was also worried about the heat and using six very ripe Thai chilies, but it was that perfect heat level, not burning and spicy. I only had one lime to zest and it was just fine. You can definitely turn this into a meal if you want to fill up a lettuce cup with some of the dip, soft-boiled eggs, cucumbers and snap peas.
Anonymous
Texas
5/17/2020
This was fantastic. I was worried it would be way too spicy-hot as I was making the curry component (using four Fresno chiles) but the end dish had just the right amount of heat. I decided to veganize it by swapping out the fish sauce with ~0.5 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (because I've recently noticed it kind of has a slightly fishy-pungent edge), and it worked out really well. This yields a LOT of dip. I'm thinking about using some of the leftover to stir-fry with some veggies and rice or rice noodles. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Anonymous
California
5/15/2020