Recipe: Nam Pla Prik Manao Kratiem (Thai Crack Sauce)

I made this Thai Crack Sauce with all green chiles; green and red combo would have looked more interesting.

This recipe makes the incredibly addictive Thai sauce that is in many restaurants but kept away from farangs (westerners). Typically it is on the waiters’ stand or in the kitchen and you have to ask for it. This is a starter recipe that needs to be adjusted to your personal taste. Makes 3/4 cup Thai Crack Sauce.

Ingredients:
1/4 c fresh chiles (jalapeno or serrano; if you should be so lucky as to have Thai birds eye chiles use them, but but reduce the quantity or they will kill you)
6 T lime juice
2 T fish sauce
1/4 c garlic cloves
pinch sugar (optional)

Method: Throw everything into a mini-food processsor and pulverize it, or chop the solid ingredients fine then mash with a mortar and pestle. Taste and adjust ingredients to your taste. I usually skip the sugar but some say it concentrates the flavors. Traditionally served with seafood dishes but I find it tastes great on almost any Thai food or actually on most anything savory. Sauce is at its flavor peak after sitting an hour or so and should not be kept more than a day; after that the lime juice pickles everything and it becomes strange.

Note: I have not been able to find an “official” recipe for this one the web and have self-titled it with the thai words for fish sauce (nam pla), chile (prik), lime juice (manao) and garlic (kratiem).