Thai Chilli Paste (Nam Phrik Maeng da)
January 21, 2015
Maeng Da looks like over-sized, mutated cockroaches. They are called Maeng Da Na in Thai and are the biggest of the water bugs. The English name is 'Giant Water Bug'.
The body of the waterbug is just a small pocket containing a little meat. Some people stuff them with garlic pork and then deep fry... I call it a rocket. It doesn't seem very popular today and can be hard to find. But if you do find some, try it. It tastes like garlic pork. In Thailand people eat the meat inside the pocket and its head.
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 50 mins
-
30 mins
50 mins
1 hrs 20 mins
- Yields: 4 servings
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Slice 10 of the red chills in half and place them face down on a baking sheet. Place garlic cloves and onion on the baking sheet, insuring that none of the vegetables are overlapping.
Bake, without stirring, until challis begin to blacken in spots, about 40 Minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Cut the 3 remaining chills in half lengthwise. Gently remove the seeds and membranes from both the roasted and raw chilies .
Gently squeeze the garlic cloves to extract the roasted garlic, and discard the peels.
Put garlic, chills, onions and Giant Waterbug in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely and evenly chopped. (It will be nearly smooth and ground to a paste in some spots.)
Place the chopped vegetables, sugar, water, and tamarind paste
Cook, stirring frequently. If the paste begins to boil, reduce the temperature to maintain a low simmer. Continue simmering until the mixture becomes smooth and thick, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Benefits
1. No saturated fat
2. Very high in vitamin A
3. High in protein
Nutrition Facts
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