Category: Thai

Nam Prik Kapi

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Many of you may or may not have heard of Nam Prik Kapi. I was introduced to this funky Thai spicy shrimp paste dip years ago so I thought I would share it with you. Some of these ingredients may be foreign to you, especially the Thai shrimp paste (and trust me this stuff is funky but awesome).

Nam Prik Kapi Recipe
Nam Prik Kapi Recipe

The ingredients are minimal, but the flavor impact is something out of this world. A pestle and mortar works best for this, and I have not tried using a food processor, but feel free if you decide to make this recipe.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 15-20 Thai bird chili peppers, stems removed
  • 1 head of garlic, skin removed
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar (or light brown sugar if you do not have any)
  • 3 tbsp Thai shrimp paste
  • 2 whole shallots, skins removed, lightly chopped

As with many Thai dishes, you need to balance out the sour, spice, and bitterness. This one uses 20 Thai chilies, which if you can imagine is going to make it pretty spicy, but that’s how I like it. The goal here is to come up with a light and loose paste, nothing majorly thick.

Start by pounding your garlic, chilies, and shallots in a mortar and pestle. Your goal is to make a paste. This is the labor intensive part, as it takes about 10-15 minutes and will use some arm strength. Once you have a paste, add the shrimp paste and palm sugar, and continue pounding. I find it best to use a spoon along with the pestle to lift from the bottom and keep pounding.

Nam Prik Paki Recipe
Nam Prik Paki Recipe

The final step is to add the juice of the limes. Add enough lime juice to ensure a loose paste. Add more lime juice if you have to.

Now taste and adjust. It will be spicy. It will be tangy. It will be a bit funky.

Serve this alongside fried fish, omelettes, or lightly steamed vegetables. This stores nicely as well, and a little goes a long way. If you are looking for something new to try, give this one a shot. It’s probably one of Thai’s more famous dipping sauces. Hope you enjoy!

 

Thai Style Beef Jerky

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

My kids go nuts over beef jerky, or heck any type of jerky for that matter. It almost sits on the fence of borderline ridiculous as if they have a bag of eat, they pretty much would devour the entire bag, and let’s face it, beef jerky is not that cheap. With that being said, I wanted to introduce them to a Thai style beef jerky that you often find in Asian markets, homemade to say the least. Thai style beef jerky, in my opinion, is a bit sweeter and is lightly coated with sesame seeds. Not only that but once dried, it is lightly fried giving it a wonderful chew. My kids don’t know it yet, but this stuff is a great game day snack and pairs perfectly with a cold beer. (Note, I don’t have the final photo as my kids pretty much devoured the entire batch. Regardless, you get the idea from the photos, I hope.)

Thai Style Beef Jerky Recipe
Thai Style Beef Jerky Recipe

Let’s get started.

  • 2 lbs of beef eye of round roast, or something lean
  • 1 head of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp Maggi seasoning
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • .5 oz of sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup canola oil

Start by trimming any fat away from the beef. Once removed, thinly slice the beef into about 1/8 inch slices, not too thin, but definitely not too thick. I find it best to lightly freeze the beef before slicing, and using a sharp knife as well.

To a mixing bowl, add the ginger, sugar, garlic, salt, Maggi seasoning, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Add in the beef, and using both hands, mix really, really well. Wash those hands, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

The following day, preheat your oven to the lowest temperature. Mine only goes down to 170, and that is fine. You can also air dry this, laying the beef on your oven racks, and using a fan to constantly blow air on them. Or, you can use your food dehydrator if you have one. I don’t, but really, really want one.

Take your oven racks out. I used all three of mine, and lay the beef along the racks. Some of my cuts were shorter, others longer, but just make sure they are not touching one another, and that they lay on the rack. This can be a bit messy, so I laid paper towel on my counter to make cleaning up a bit easier.

Carefully place the racks back into the oven, and slowly cook these for about 3-5 hours on low and until they are the texture of beef jerky.

When you are ready to make them, after the jerky phase, heat a medium skillet on medium heat, adding the oil, and place however many pieces of jerky that can fit, into the heated oil, and lightly fry for a few minutes per side. Remove, place onto some paper towel, repeat, and then dig in.

My kids were so stoked, not only that there was almost an endless amount of jerky, but a new jerky at that. The sweetness from the sugar, and that balance of ginger and garlic really make this jerky a real winner. Hope you enjoy, and if you want to donate a dehydrator for me, that would be awesome! Kidding.

Nam Prik Pao – Thai Chili Condiment

Dax Phillips 1 Comment

For those of you that love Thai food, there is a condiment, or sauce if you will, known as Nam Prik Pao. Nam prik in Thai commonly refers to a general term for a spicy sauce that is often used as a condiment, or dipping sauce. You can find this sauce at your local Asian market, and there are probably so many different versions, but this is my go to recipe. This Thai dipping sauce is sweet, has some heat, and has this awesome layer of funk that has you using it on so many different foods, whether with eggs, grilled meats, or sauteed vegetables. This is a real winner whether you enjoy Thai or Asian flavors. I simply cannot get enough of it.

Nam Prik Pao Recipe
Nam Prik Pao Recipe

Now I have made some really great sauces in the past, for example nam prik ong, Thai three sauce (to die for), and a couple of my favorites being jeow and nam jim jaew, but this particular one is a bit different, and one to compete with.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup of canola oil
  • 1 cup of dried puya chilies, stems and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup dried morita chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup dried chile del arbol, stems and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup tamarind concentrate
  • 3 tbsp palm sugar (or light brown if you do not have palm sugar)
  • 1 whole head of garlic, skins removed
  • 4 whole shallots, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp roasted shrimp paste
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce

Start by taking the seeds out of all of the chilies. I highly recommend you wear kitchen latex gloves during this process. Trust me, and thank me later. Once the seeds and stems have been removed, add them to a large skillet over medium heat, simply to lightly toast them and bring out their essential oils. Be careful not to burn the chilies, so keep stirring them for a few minutes, then place onto a plate for later use.

To the same skillet, add the oil, and toss in the garlic cloves. Cook the garlic, again not to burn it but just until they turn a golden brown. Remove the garlic with a kitchen spider, or slotted spoon, and place them on the same plate as the chilies.

To the same oil, add in the shallots, and cook until they begin to get golden as well. Once golden, remove with a slotted spoon and place these, along with the garlic and chilies to a food processor.  Turn off the heat, but keep the oil in the skillet for future use.

Thai Nam Prik Pao Ingredients
Thai Nam Prik Pao Ingredients

Pulse these in the food processor until you have a nice paste. Scrape down the sides if necessary during this process.

Once you have a paste, add the skillet back on medium heat with the oil, and add the chili paste, shrimp paste, tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Gently stir, turning down the heat to low, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring throughout that time. Remove from the heat, and spoon into a sealable jar or container and let it cool before placing in the refrigerator.

This nam prik pao is super yummy. Granted when no one is looking I take a small spoonful and eat it, but you can use this condiment to spread on toast, dip pork rinds into, use with soups or stews, or just serve with anything. It’s an awesome condiment, and one that will not only having you get your arsenal of Thai ingredients in line, but one you will love. Hope you enjoy!

Thai Lemongrass Chicken

Dax Phillips 2 Comments

It’s official, well it’s been official, it’s finally grilling season in Wisconsin. Not that I haven’t been grilling all year long, but the weather is finally getting a lot more nice in Wisconsin. So this past Mother’s day weekend was full of cooking for my loved one(s). As we progressed into the weekend, I decided to use up a bag of frozen lemongrass I had. I’m trying to purge my freezer and use up lots of yummy leftovers. As I was thinking of what to make with the lemongrass (I always have Thai on my mind when it comes to lemongrass), I decided on making a lemongrass infused oil, and use that for grilling a spatchcocked whole chicken. The lemongrass infused oil was phenomenal, but a simple marinade was also created to make this Thai lemongrass chicken even better.

Thai Lemongrass Grilled Chicken Recipe
Thai Lemongrass Grilled Chicken Recipe

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the lemongrass oil:

  • 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2 cloves garlic

Ingredients for the Thai Lemongrass Chicken:

  • 1 whole chicken, backbone removed
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • small handful of cilantro roots, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Start by marinating your chicken. To a small mixing bowl, add in the ingredients for the Thai lemongrass chicken, with the exception of the chicken, and mix well. Rub the marinade all over the chicken. Cover and place into the refrigerator, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

During this time, make the lemongrass infused oil.

Lemongrass Chicken Ingredients
Lemongrass Chicken Ingredients

To a food processor, add the lemongrass. Pulse and blend until you have broken down the lemongrass. Take a good smell. I love that smell.

Heat a small pot on medium-low heat, add in the oil, and add in the shredded lemongrass and garlic. Cook this on medium low heat for about 40 minutes. Then strain the oil into a container. Reserve for grilling, and for later use.

Before grilling, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and set it on the counter, allowing it to take the chill off.

Heat up your grill. Again, I use charcoal and some wood chunks, but use what you got. The goal is to cook it over indirect heat as you do not want a burnt chicken. So when you are ready, set the chicken on the grill grate, and cook for about 40 minutes, brushing with the lemongrass infused oil during the grill period. Cook until your meat thermometer reads a safe temperature.

Thai Lemongrass Chicken
Thai Lemongrass Chicken

Plate, and shower with sliced green onions and additional cilantro if desired.

The end result is really, really great chicken. You are left with not only a garlic flavored chicken, but one that has the subtle hints of a lemon-lime and ginger flavor from the awesome lemongrass infused oil. It was a hit, and a great start to the weekend. Hope you enjoy!

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Thai Lemongrass Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Chicken
Cuisine: Thai
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • Ingredients for the lemongrass oil:
  • 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Ingredients for the Thai Lemongrass Chicken:
  • 1 whole chicken, backbone removed
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • small handful of cilantro roots, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Start by marinating your chicken. To a small mixing bowl, add in the ingredients for the Thai lemongrass chicken, with the exception of the chicken, and mix well. Rub the marinade all over the chicken. Cover and place into the refrigerator, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
  2. During this time, make the lemongrass infused oil.
  3. To a food processor, add the lemongrass. Pulse and blend until you have broken down the lemongrass. Take a good smell. I love that smell.
  4. Heat a small pot on medium-low heat, add in the oil, and add in the shredded lemongrass. Cook this on medium low heat for about 40 minutes. Then strain the oil into a container. Reserve for grilling, and for later use.
  5. Before grilling, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and set it on the counter, allowing it to take the chill off.
  6. Heat up your grill. Again, I use charcoal and some wood chunks, but use what you got. The goal is to cook it over indirect heat as you do not want a burnt chicken. So when you are ready, set the chicken on the grill grate, and cook for about 40 minutes, brushing with the lemongrass infused oil during the grill period. Cook until your meat thermometer reads a safe temperature.
  7. Plate, and shower with sliced green onions and additional cilantro if desired.