Nam Prik Makheau Yao is basically a Thai spicy eggplant dip. Some may call it Nam Prik Noom, like my mom. Nam Prik Noom is a Northern Thai green chili dip. The difference is my version has eggplant in it. Think of it like Mexican salsa, American chili or Italian pasta sauce. Every mom/grandma (or dad/grandpa) has her own way of making it. Same here, I’d like to think mine is pretty awesome because I have been making it for years. It’s quick, easy and I can say that’s it’s full proof.
Speaking of dips, there are so many kinds in Thailand and some are more like chili paste. They’re usually pounded in a brick mortar and we usually eat them with raw or steamed vegetables, hard boiled eggs and Jasmin rice. There’s an old saying from the Thai elderly that you can tell if someone would make a good wife by the sounds that came out of the mortar while they were pounding the spices. Since I live in USA and I happen to own a 20-century food processor. I guess I have no proof that I’m a good wife or not. However, I do own a mortar and once in awhile when I need to let out some of my aggression, I put it into good use. ha ha
The other thing about this Nam Prik Makheau Yao, it requires only a few ingredients, 1 medium eggplant, 4-5 garlic cloves, 3 shallots, 1 Serrano pepper. Most Thai chili paste or dips usually need shrimp paste, which is hard to find a good one here, so this recipe is perfect for a Thai living aboard like me. All the veggies will be grilled (if you have charcoal grill, that’s the best!) or in this case, during our winter storm, you can broil them in the oven. This makes them super flavorful. We pretty much blacken them until they are succulent and smoky before blending them together. Then add about 1 tablespoon of Golden Mountain seasoning sauce
Now I’m getting hungry. Let’s cook some food!
Preheat the broiler to high and set an oven rack about 5 inches beneath the heating coins. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the shallots, garlic cloves, Serrano pepper, and eggplant on the baking sheet.
Broil until softened and charred, 8-10 minutes.
Here they are!
Transfer the vegetables to a food processor or a blender.
Blend until combined. Add a about a table spoon of Golden Mountain seasoning sauce
Pulse a few times until combined.
That’s it. How easy was that? Serve with some vegetables like cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, and hard boiled eggs and Jasmin rice.
Enjoy! I really hope you give this Nam Prik Makheua Yao (Thai Eggplant Dip) a try. The recipe card is below.
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled/cut into 2x2 inch cube
- 4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 shallots, quartered
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 1 tablespoon Golden Mountain seasoning sauce
- Preheat the broiler to high and set an oven rack about 5 inches beneath the heating coins.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the shallots, garlic cloves, Serrano pepper, and eggplant on the baking sheet.
- Broil until softened and charred, 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables to a food processor or a blender. Blend until combined.
- Add Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. Pulse a few times until combined. Serve with some vegetables, hard boiled eggs and Jasmin rice. Enjoy!
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