A charred-roasted fresh green chilli and garlic relish — among the most important preparations of the northern Thai (Lanna) kitchen. The green chillies, garlic, and shallots are roasted directly over a flame or under a grill until deeply charred on the exterior and completely soft within, then roughly pounded in the mortar with fish sauce and a little lime juice to a coarse, dark, smoke-infused relish. Nam prik num is served with blanched vegetables, crispy pork rinds, and sticky rice — the combination is the standard northern Thai everyday meal. Thompson covers it in the context of the nam prik tradition as the northern equivalent of the central Thai nam prik kapi (Entry TH-07).
**The charring:** The specific character of nam prik num comes from the charring of the fresh chilli and garlic — a direct-flame roasting that produces a blackened exterior and a soft, smoke-infused interior. This charring is not merely heating: the chilli's exterior cell walls burn, and the Maillard-and-pyrolysis products of the charred skin infuse into the flesh beneath. - Large green spur chillies (prik num): the variety specific to the northern region. These are long, mildly hot green chillies — not bird's eye chillies, which would make the relish too hot for its intended use as an everyday dipping relish. - Garlic: unpeeled heads, charred directly. - Shallots: unpeeled, charred. **The rough pounding:** Unlike nam prik kapi, which aims for a relatively smooth paste, nam prik num is pounded coarsely — the smoked, softened chilli flesh is roughly broken down with the mortar, leaving visible texture and pieces. The smoke of the charring should be immediately apparent in the aroma of the pounded relish. Decisive moment: The degree of charring. The chillies must be charred enough that the outer skin is genuinely blackened — not merely browned. This degree of charring produces the characteristic smoky depth. Under-charred chillies produce a relish that tastes of cooked green chilli without the smoky-complex note that makes nam prik num distinctive. Sensory tests: **Smell — the charred chilli:** The correctly charred green chilli, still whole, smells simultaneously of the fresh green chilli aroma (capsaicin compounds, chlorogenic acids) and the sharp, complex smell of carbonised plant material — the same family of volatile aromatic compounds produced in wood smoke and charred meat. This layered smell — fresh-green underneath, smoky-dark on top — is the signature of correctly charred chilli. **Taste:** Nam prik num should taste of smoke, fresh green chilli, roasted garlic's sweetness, and fish sauce's salt — all simultaneously. If the smoke note is absent, the charring was insufficient.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)