Some folks always put the same condiment on their food, whatever is for dinner. You know the type—maybe you are the type: The ketchup-on-eggs people. The hot sauce-on-everything folks. Well, I like to pat myself on the back for incorporating different condiments into different dishes, but even I make one exception, and it's for prik nam pla. I simply must have this Thai sauce on every rice dish I eat.
When I was young, my mom would make me and my brothers dinner, then sit down with her plate and inevitably produce a reused plastic bullion cube container filled with a mysterious liquid. I'd watch her scoop the brown sauce and chilies onto her rice, and five minutes later she'd break out into a sweat with a runny nose. It was a while before I fell in love with the stuff too, but for the uninitiated, a runny nose is a good sign that you've made prik nam pla correctly.
What is prik nam pla?
Prik nam pla is a Thai condiment composed of fish sauce, a little lime juice, and tons of sliced Thai chili peppers—more Thai chili peppers than you'd think are safe. I’m kidding—you can adjust the amount—but I do enjoy that thrill of danger when I make it for myself. Plus, the Asian grocery stores sell chilis in huge packs for $3 so there’s no need to be precious about using them up. (You can also freeze them.)
Prik nam pla, sometimes called nam pla prik, means spicy or peppered fish sauce. While the name gives you the gist of its composition, I feel like the simplicity doesn’t do the complex flavor profile any justice. The reason I need to have it with every savory rice dish comes down to its wonderful umami-boosting quality. It’s primarily fish sauce, which explains the umami, but it reaches a special balance with the addition of acid from the lime juice.
Why prik nam pla is the ultimate condiment
Most of the time, my rice is accompanied with meat or eggs, and there are usually vegetables involved. The fish sauce is aromatic and salty. You only need a tiny spoonful and it magnifies all of the savory flavors so they practically leap onto your tongue. The lime juice brightens the sauce up, so those flavors don’t become overwhelming or wear out your taste buds. I like the chilies because they fire up my senses, but if you’re spice averse, don’t let that stop you: You can technically omit the peppers altogether, or just reduce the spice by about 90% by de-seeding and de-ribbing them first. Then, try a little scoop on part of your meal and see how it goes.
This recipe makes about a tablespoon of the spicy condiment, and you can serve it on the side of rice or noodle dishes, soups, or even use it as a dipping sauce for calamari or chicken nuggets. Although a tablespoon might seem like a small amount, it’s pretty powerful stuff. I don’t save it, I just make it fresh every time.
To use it, I spoon the tiniest bit onto my rice, mix it in that area of my food, and enjoy. When I move on, I’ll add more. In the beginning, I’ll scoop up a few chilies, and later on, if I’ve had enough spice, I’ll leave those slices behind. If you want a little more flavor, sliced raw garlic or chopped shallots are a common addition to this mixture, but I usually prefer to keep it simple.
Easy Prik Nam Pla Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1-4 Thai chili peppers, sliced
1. Mix the fish sauce and lime juice together in a tiny saucer or bowl. Add the chili peppers and enjoy.