A cooked relish of dried shrimp paste (kapi), fresh chillies, garlic, and dried fish — fried together in oil until the components are cooked and caramelised, then seasoned with fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. Nam prik long rua ('relish that makes you miss the boat' — the name suggesting the relish is so compelling that diners stay eating it through their departure) is a central Thai household preparation, one of the cooked nam prik category (as distinct from the raw-pounded category of nam prik kapi, Entry TH-07, and the roasted category of nam prik num, Entry TH-38).
**The frying:** Unlike the raw-pounded or roasted nam prik preparations, nam prik long rua is cooked — the components are fried in oil until the shrimp paste and dried fish components have caramelised and the raw character of the fresh chilli has been moderated by the heat. 1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add minced garlic. 2. Fry until golden. 3. Add the kapi and dried small fish. 4. Fry together, breaking up the kapi, until it darkens and caramelises — 3–4 minutes. 5. Add sliced fresh chillies (both long and bird's eye). 6. Cook briefly until the chillies have softened. 7. Season off heat: fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar. Balance the four registers. **The dried fish:** Grated or flaked dried salted fish — providing a concentrated fish-salt flavour distinct from the shrimp paste's fermented note.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)