Nam Prik Ong (Tomato Chili Paste)

Ingredients:

Pork, ground	300 grams
Lemon grass, chopped	½ cup
Shallots, finely sliced	½ cup
Garlic, chopped	½ cup
Salt	1 tablespoon
Fermented soy bean sheets or shrimp paste (Kapi)	1 tablespoon
Big dried chilies	15 each
Small tomatoes or Sida tomatoes	1 kilogram
Coriander plant, chopped	½ cup
Garlic, chopped	3 tablespoons
Cooking oil	½ cup
Water	1 cup

Directions:

• Grind chilies, lemon grass and salt until delicate. Add shallots, garlic and shrimp paste, and grind all together until delicate and well-blended. Add pork, continue grinding, add tomatoes, and grind the mixture until well-blended.
• Pour oil into a pan, add garlic and fry until fragrant, add the chili paste mixture, fry all together on a low heat. Fry until the mixture is oily, add water. Fry until the mixture is dry and can be picked with a fork. Spoon onto a bowl, garnish with coriander leaves.

Correct Characteristics of Nam Prik Ong:

Nam Prik Ong should be red brown in color, sheer, little oily, fragrant, little spicy, sour from tomatoes, and little salty, but not sweet.

Cooking Tips:

• Tomatoes must be finely chopped, ground and mixed with chili paste and pork, and toasted until tender and sheer.
• If Sida tomatoes are used, add 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste to the chili paste because this kind of tomatoes is sweeter than small-sized tomatoes called orange tomatoes.

Eating Culture:

Nam Prik Ong can be eaten with cooked glutinous rice, or jasmine rice. For fusion eating, Nam Prik Ong can be put on top of spaghetti or used as sandwich spread.

How to Serve:

Serve with the main meal for eating with rice, especially sticky rice according to Thai northern style.
Serve with either fresh vegetables and/or boiled vegetables. The side dish could be Khaeb Moo (fried pork skin).
Fresh vegetables – krathin (lead leaves), cucumber, thua-pu beans, cabbage, makhua (Thai eggplant), and yard long beans
Boiled vegetables – khae leaves, khae flowers, banana blossom, pumpkin, and morning glory.

Recipe Variations:

Nam Prik Ong on top of Spaghetti
Nam Prik Ong as sandwich spread

Name Derivative :

Nam Prik Ong is named according to its cooking method – frying – as this dish must be pan-fried.

Nutritional and Medicinal Properties of Herbs used in Nam Prik Ong:

Gratiem (Garlic)

Use : Almost all Thai dishes - soups, curries, salads, sauces and pan-fried dishes – contain garlic.
Medicinal properties : Cures and prevents atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, fights some intestinal parasites, helps heal wounds, fights infections, strengthens heart, and clears chest congestion.

Hua Hom (Shallots)

Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.

Takrai (Lemon grass)

Use : Lemon grass is an essential ingredient of a Tom Yam, a popular Thai dish served in most restaurants around the world. It gives a pleasant flavor and covers up the fish and shrimp smells.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, relieves stomach pain, increases urine production, and relieves gall stone problems and high blood pressure.

Prik Kee Noo (Fresh hot Chili Peppers)

Use : Hot chili peppers give the uniquely hot taste and aroma of Thai cooking. It is the star ingredient of most dishes. Almost every dish will taste better with a small addition of these tiny hot chili peppers. Tom Yam and Tom Kha cannot be made without them.
Medicinal properties : Relieves diarrhea, stimulates digestion and the heat, increases blood flow to taste buds and thus increases appetite, relieves infection, dissolves blood clod, and prevents intestinal cancer.

Bai Pak Shee (Coriander Leaves)

Use : Tom Yam, Tomkha, soups and salads require coriander leaves as flavorful and colorful garnish.
Medicinal properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.