Tools needed Wok (Krata) Morter and Pestle (Kroc)

Nam Prik Pla Too
(Water, Chili and Too Fish Paste)
This ain't your common chip dip

The Thai term "Nam Prik" applies to just about any combination of chili, water and other spices. Most of these sauces are used as table seasonings and there are hundreds of variations. For almost any meat dish the Thai's eat there is a Nam Prik variation. The most common one is simply chopped chilies and "Nam Pla" sauce², sometimes with a little salt added. Nam Prik Pla Too belongs to a class that are not generally used as a sauces but as a vegetable dip and a seasoning. Eaten with rice alone it is used as a seasoning but add fresh vegetables and leaves to the table and you have a full meal. Its a little bit spicier straight then is normally preferred in the western world but its great for dipping yard long beans (a variety of green bean) or cucumber slices in and then eaten with small amounts of the rice. As stated above it doesn't go well with potato or corn chips to my tastes. There are a lot of things that I think don't go together, but that other people think do.... I can think of worse combinations.

Nam Prik Pla Too

Feeds 2-4 people.

1/3 ounce (10 grams) Onion
1/3 ounce (10 grams) Garlic
Note: The garlic and onion together is equal to about 1/2 of a cup
3 ounces of whole Too Fish or 2 ounces of fish filets¹
3-7 large Thai Chilis depending on personal taste
3-4 teaspoons Pla-la or Nam Pla or 1/2 and 1/2 of both

optional commonly added ingredients:

2-3 teaspoons Cherote
3-4 teaspoons soup stock. (Chicken or Pork)
To prepare:
       Take the Onions, garlic and chilies and dry fry (no water or oil) in the wok until the onions turn translucent (clear) and the chillis have shriveled and browned slightly, 5-10 minutes. Set aside in the Kroc.
        Cook the fish, you may fry, bake, broil or barbecue the fish as long the fish is cooked thoroughly and warm when added to the other ingredients in the kroc. Frying in light oil in the wok is the most commonly used way of cooking the Too fish in Thailand, barbecuing the fish is also very common, but any way you want to cook the fish will work. In the Thai markets the dry ingredients of Nam Prik Pla Too are frequently cooked by sticking the fish on a bamboo skewer and the chili's, onion and garlic on another skewer and barbecuing them over a charcoal fire like a shishkabob. Make sure that all fish bones are removed after cooking by breaking the fish into small pieces as you add them to the kroc. Add the Pla-la or Nam Pla and cherot and then mash all the ingredients together in the kroc until they thoroughly combined and resemble a very thick paste.
Nam Prik Pla Too may then be stored in an uncovered dish or bowl at room temperature until used up to 24 hours if Nam Pla was used in preparation and up to 48 hours if Pla-la was used in preparation. Nam Prik Pla Too may be refrigerated but not frozen, refrigeration does not increase its shelf life beyond 48 hours.
Serving

      While Nam Prik Pla Too may be eaten as is. Normally in Thailand Nam Prik Pla Too has water and/or Nam Pla or soup stock added to it until it is the consistency of a thin pudding. It is then spooned onto cooked rice in small amounts and eaten as a flavoring or is used as a raw vegetable dip and the vegetables are eaten with small portions of rice or sticky rice. Most commonly the vegetables used are raw "yard long beans", raw cucumbers, and various of the water vegetables "Nam Pok" , it is quite good with raw cabbage also though it is rarely eaten with that here. Any raw vegetable should be fine.

Note: Nam Prik Pla Too's recipe is very similar to an extremely basic variation of the recipe for the Thai dish I call "Spaghetti E-Son" which is scheduled to be given as the recipe in Episode #5 in this online addition. In brief however take Nam Prik Pla Too as above and add it to 1 cup water or 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup canned coconut milk. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is reduced slightly. Serve over rice noodles or thin spaghetti noodles with a heavy garnish of raw chopped vegetables and bean sprouts.
²  Nam Pla literally translates as fish water (nam = water & pla = fish) and is a light brown liquid that is the most common sauce in Thailand. It is used in almost every recipe, is found on every restaurant table and the Thai household that doesn't have a bottle or two is very poor indeed. Used like the Chinese use Soy Sauce it is one basic that has no substitute in Thai cooking. Fortunately almost all Asian food shops sell it and I have even seen it on Asian specialty shelves in American supermarkets.

¹ The name of this recipe comes from Pla Too (Too fish) which is a saltwater fish with the characteristic saltwater flavor. White fish, Sea Catfish or salt water Perch are excellent substitutes. Fresh water fish maybe used but you should add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
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Copyright 2001 / 2544 Dave Harris
Last Updated: 27 October 2001 / 2544
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