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Nam prik kapi, vegan style
Vegan chilli dip with vegetables
A vegan take on nam prik kapi (น้ำพริกกะปิ), the pounded shrimp-paste dip, with the traditional kapi version in the intro
Across the central plains, a small bowl of nam prik kapi sits in the middle of the family tray with a platter of raw and boiled vegetables, a fried fish and rice, and everyone dips as they go. The classic is built on kapi, a pungent fermented shrimp paste, pounded with garlic, bird's-eye chillies, lime and palm sugar. This vegan version keeps the same sharp, hot, sweet-sour balance but swaps the kapi for yellow soybean paste and a little toasted nori for a sea note, and fried tofu takes the place of the mackerel. For the traditional dip, wrap 1½ tbsp kapi in foil, toast it in a dry pan for 2 minutes, use it instead of the soybean paste and nori, and season with fish sauce instead of tamari. Chef's tip: pound the garlic and chillies before the liquids go in; adding lime too early turns the mortar into a splashing mess and leaves the garlic in chunks.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dip
- 4 cloves garlicpeeled
- 8 bird's-eye chilliesa mix of red and green, stalks removed
- 1 ½ tbsp yellow soybean paste
- 0.5 sheet noritoasted over a flame for a few seconds and crumbled
- 1 ½ tbsp palm sugargrated
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp tamari
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 8 pea aubergines (optional)lightly crushed
To serve
- 7 oz firm tofucut into slabs
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 ⅛ lb raw and blanched vegetablescucumber, long beans, cabbage wedges, morning glory, boiled pumpkin
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pound 4 cloves garlic and 8 bird's-eye chillies in a mortar to a coarse paste, about 2 minutes.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 ½ tbsp yellow soybean paste and 0.5 sheet nori and pound until evenly mixed and dark.
Step 3: Pound in 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar until dissolved, then stir in 3 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp tamari and 2 tbsp warm water with a spoon. Taste: it should be hot first, then sour, salty and a little sweet. Fold in 8 pea aubergines if using.
Step 4: Pat 7 oz firm tofu dry and fry in 3 tbsp neutral oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until golden and crisp on both sides, 3–4 minutes a side.
8 minStep 5: Spoon the dip into a small bowl and set it in the middle of a platter of 1 ⅛ lb raw and blanched vegetables and the fried tofu, with rice alongside. It keeps for 2 days in the fridge, though the lime dulls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nam prik kapi, vegan style take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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