Nam Prik Pla Tu & Pak Luak
น้ำพริกปลาทู·(nám prík plaa tuu)
The Rice Cooker Savior: Thai Office Lunches & Hacks
Forget intricate restaurant curries; the true, unapologetic soul of the Thai domestic table is built in a mortar and pestle. Originally calling for meticulously deboned short-bodied mackerel, the greatest open secret among Thai aunties abroad is that a good tin of canned tuna works flawlessly. Pounded together with blistered aromatics, sharp bird's eye chilies, and the deep, country funk of fermented fish sauce, it delivers an instant hit of ancestral nostalgia. It takes fifteen minutes and asks only for a mountain of rice and whatever vegetables happen to be in your crisper drawer.
Before you start
Prepare the rice.
Get a fresh batch of jasmine or sticky rice going in your rice cooker before you start prepping anything else.
Boil the eggs.
If you haven't already, boil the eggs to your preferred doneness—aim for about 7 minutes for a jammy yolk—then shock in ice water, peel, and halve them.
Ingredients
- Thai bird's eye chilies10 med
- jalapeño peppers2 med
- garlic6 large cloves
- shallots3 med
- canned chunk light tuna in water5 oz
- fresh lime juice2 tbsp
- premium fish sauce1 tbsp
- pasteurized fermented fish sauce1 1/2 tbsp
- hot boiled water3 tbsp
- granulated sugar1/4 tsp
- green beans1 cup
- green cabbage1/2 med
- English cucumber1 med
- eggs2 large
- fresh cilantro1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Char the aromatics in a dry skillet.
Place a dry cast-iron skillet or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat with no oil. Toss in the bird's eye chilies, jalapeños, unpeeled garlic, and unpeeled shallots. Let them blister and blacken in spots, tossing occasionally, for about 7 to 10 minutes. Keeping the skins on protects the flesh from turning bitter while steaming the interior.
- 02
Peel the blackened skins.
Once cool enough to handle, strip the papery, charred skins from the garlic and shallots. Do not worry if some charred flecks remain; they add authentic smoky character.
- 03
Pound into a coarse paste.
Transfer the peeled garlic, shallots, and all the chilies into a heavy stone mortar. Pound aggressively until they form a highly aromatic, coarse paste. Put down the food processor; a spinning blade cannot replicate the crushed cell walls of a true mortar mash.
- 04
Incorporate the tuna.
Add the thoroughly drained canned tuna to the mortar. Pound gently to shred the fish fibers, using a spoon in your non-dominant hand to fold the mixture back into the center of the bowl. The fish will absorb the chili paste and turn slightly fluffy.
- 05
Season the paste aggressively.
Add the hot boiled water, lime juice, regular fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, and sugar directly into the mortar. Stir gently to incorporate. Taste it; it should lead with tart acidity and sharp heat, followed immediately by deep, country funk. Adjust the lime or fish sauce as needed.
- 06
Blanch the vegetables.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the green beans and cabbage wedges for just one to two minutes until vibrant but still crunchy. Plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking.
- 07
Assemble the platter.
Scoop the chili paste into a central bowl and garnish with cilantro. Surround it with the blanched cabbage, green beans, raw cucumber, and boiled eggs, serving immediately with hot rice.
Notes
Embrace the Pla Ra.
Fermented fish sauce is the open secret to the profound, nostalgic reality of an authentic Thai home kitchen. Pasteurized bottles are easily found at Asian markets; do not skip it if you want the dish to taste like the homeland.
The canned tuna hack.
Traditional recipes use steamed short-bodied mackerel (Pla Tu) that must be meticulously deboned. Canned tuna in water is a widely accepted, culturally valid substitution used by Thai diaspora cooks to make this a realistic weeknight meal.
From Cook Thai in America.