If it is made with tomato, is it vegetarian?
No. The typical nam prik ong has minced pork in it. If you are vegetarian, do not choose by the tomato color alone. Ask about the meat and the seasonings together.
Nam prik ong
Nam Phrik Ong · น้ำพริกอ่อง
Meet nam prik ong, which is eaten with vegetables at a northern Thai meal. It is a red dipping sauce made with tomato, minced pork and chilies. Dab a little on vegetables or eat it with sticky rice, and you get the savory depth of pork and the sourness of tomato together. Order it with sai ua and set a northern Thai table.
Nam phrik ong · Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0
Resized for display · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 3.0
What does it taste like?
Chili seasoning is added to the sourness of tomato and the savory depth of pork. When you pair the soft sauce with crunchy vegetables, the different textures come together. The heat varies from place to place.
Even this tomato sauce has minced pork in it.
Dish basics
- Dish name
- Nam prik ong · Nam Phrik Ong
- Thai name
- น้ำพริกอ่อง
- Type
- Sides and grilled dishes
- Regional link
- Northern Thailand · Northern Thai dipping sauce
- Main ingredients
- Tomato, minced pork and chilies are used. It is a sauce eaten a little at a time with sticky rice and vegetables.
The dish and its region
Nam prik is a dipping sauce that goes with vegetables or rice in Thailand. There are several kinds of nam prik in the north, and nam prik ong is the kind that uses tomato and pork. You can also meet it with sticky rice and vegetables at a khantoke meal, where food is set out on a small table.
How to order and eat it
- See whether sticky rice and vegetables come with it, and order it together with other northern dishes.
- Dab a little sauce on a vegetable and try it first. With sticky rice it gives you another texture.
- It is a dish that uses pork even though it is a tomato sauce. If you avoid meat or animal-based seasonings, say so before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Do you eat the sauce on its own?
It is eaten a little at a time with vegetables, sticky rice and similar foods. If you order it with grilled dishes such as sai ua, you can share several flavors.
More dishes and cities to explore
Official sources
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good next step. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one place to the next.
Sharing image credit: Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0