Identify and prepare nam prik noom Northern Thai green chili dip
How to make nam prik noom, the Northern Thai roasted green chili dip: pepper choices, broiling and pounding steps, doneness cues, and how it differs from nam prik ong.
Contents
Nam prik noom, also spelled nam prik num, is a Northern Thai dip built on roasted green chilies. The chilies, garlic and shallots are cooked under high heat until soft, then pounded together and seasoned with fish sauce. This guide follows the method published by Pailin of Hot Thai Kitchen. It covers her pepper options, the order of work, the cues that show each stage is done, and how to tell this dip apart from nam prik ong, a different Northern Thai chili dip.
What nam prik noom is and when to serve it
The finished dip is a coarse, pounded mixture of soft, charred green chilies, roasted garlic and roasted shallots, seasoned with fish sauce. It is not a smooth purée. The goal is a cohesive mash with no large chunks left.
Serve it as part of a shared spread. Pailin suggests sticky rice, pork rind, cucumber and cabbage alongside it. She also serves it with rice crackers.
How it differs from nam prik ong
Both are Northern Thai chili dips, so the names are often confused. They differ in ingredients and in cooking method. Nam prik noom is green, roasted and pounded. Nam prik ong, as described by the Thai cook Pim, starts with a pounded paste of dried chilies, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste. That paste is fried, then minced pork and tomatoes are added and the mixture is reduced.
| Feature | Nam prik noom | Nam prik ong |
| Chili | Fresh green chilies | Dried chilies |
| Main additions | Garlic, shallots | Garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, minced pork, tomatoes |
| Heat method | Broiled or roasted until charred and soft | Paste fried, then simmered with pork and tomatoes |
| Final step | Pounded, then seasoned with fish sauce | Reduced in the pan |
| How to recognize it | Green, coarse, pounded texture | Tomato-red, cooked meat sauce |
Ingredients
Pailin's version makes four servings:
- 7 oz large green chilies, left whole
- 1.8 oz garlic, unpeeled
- 4.5 oz shallots, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2–3 tsp fish sauce, added gradually
Choosing the chilies
Pailin uses prik noom, the large green chili the dip is named for. If you can't find it, she lists Korean long green peppers, green Anaheim peppers and jalapeños as substitutes. How hot the dip turns out depends on the peppers you choose. Pailin's advice on heat is specific to her own recipe and peppers, so taste your chilies and adjust to suit your table.
Equipment
- An oven broiler set to high
- A mortar and pestle, or another tool for pounding the roasted ingredients
Method
- 1. Broil the whole chilies on high. Pailin's starting estimate is about 5–6 minutes on the first side.
- 2. Turn the chilies and broil about 4–5 minutes more. Keep going until they are charred and fully soft. The timings are only a guide because broilers vary.
- 3. Broil the unpeeled garlic and the shallot chunks separately, until cooked through.
- 4. Let everything cool enough to handle.
- 5. Peel the garlic and the chilies.
- 6. Pound the chilies and garlic with the shallots until no large chunks remain.
- 7. Season with fish sauce a little at a time, tasting between additions. Stop once the dip tastes right to you, staying within or close to 2–3 tsp.
How to judge each stage
- Chilies: charred and fully soft. If they are blistered but still firm, return them to the broiler.
- Garlic and shallots: cooked through. These come out separately, so take each off when it is done rather than when the chilies are.
- After pounding: no large chunks. If you still see big pieces, keep pounding.
- Seasoning: adjust by taste. Because fish sauce goes in gradually, you can add more but can't take it out, so add slowly toward the end.
The broiler is the main hazard in this recipe. Pailin's timings vary from oven to oven, so stay close and check the chilies at each stage instead of relying on the clock.
Example: tracking your batch
Below is an illustrative worksheet, not part of Pailin's recipe. It is useful if you try different peppers or want to compare noom with ong. Each dip gets its own row so the two stay distinct.
Dip identity | Pepper used | Whole or deseeded | Softness observed | Peeled? | Fish sauce added
Nam prik noom | e.g. green Anaheim | whole | charred, fully soft | chilies + garlic | 2 tsp, then taste
Nam prik ong | dried chilies (paste) | — | n/a (fried, then simmered) | n/a | n/aRelated articles
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