Thailand's National Condiment - by Pailin Chongchitnant
Do you have a favourite condiment? One that you gravitate to for just about everything? Maybe sriracha, tabasco … maybe a squeeze of lime?
If you ask this question to Thai people, you’ll likely get one answer: Prik Nam Pla.
Prik nam pla is our answer to all dishes that need a seasoning boost. And you can’t buy it, because it’s too easy to make. I definitely judge Thai restaurants here based on whether the server knows what I’m talking about when I ask for prik nam pla!
It’s an egg dish I’m obsessed with right now, and I’ve never had so many people send me pics of their version so fast! If you haven’t seen it, check it out here!
It can go on anything, but most commonly we put prik nam pla on things eaten with rice (which is A LOT of things), or on the rice itself. Fried rice is often served with prik nam pla, as are fried eggs. It’s also fantastic on stir fried noodles.
I think of prik nam pla as having “4 levels” of complexity, and I’ve written all about that in the blog post:
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