← Nouns Cooking · Thai

Ingredients

• 6 large mild dried red chillies, seeded
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 4 shallots (about 100 g), chopped
• 1½ tsp Shrimp paste (belacan)
• ½ tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 250 g pork mince (not too lean)
• 250 g Cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp tamarind purée
• 1½ tbsp Palm sugar
• 1½ tbsp Fish sauce
• 60 ml Water
• 1 Cucumber, sliced
• 150 g long beans or green beans, cut into lengths
• ¼ white cabbage, cut into wedges
• 400 g sticky rice, steamed (optional)

Method

1. Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 15 min until soft, then drain and squeeze dry.
2. Pound or blend the chillies, garlic, shallots, shrimp paste and salt into a fairly smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the paste for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and smells toasty.
4. Add the pork and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, breaking it up, until cooked through. Add the tomatoes, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and water.
5. Simmer for 8–10 min, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes collapse and the dip is thick and glossy with a layer of red oil. Taste for salt and sourness.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with the raw vegetables and sticky rice.

Tips

• Pork crackling is the other classic thing to dip with.
• Contains shrimp paste and fish sauce.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hungry in Thailand ImportFood