Thompson's Thai Food documents the Thai meal structure as a complete flavour architecture — the main dishes (gaeng, pad, tom) surrounded by relishes (nam prik), fresh vegetables, and raw herbs that together produce a meal experience no single dish can provide alone. The nam prik — a relish of pounded chilli, shrimp paste, garlic, and acid — is the seasoning applied at the table rather than in the kitchen.
The Thai relish system: nam prik (pounded chilli relishes) served alongside raw and briefly cooked vegetables, providing each diner with the ability to season their own plate by combining the primary dish with varying amounts of relish and fresh vegetable.
- All nam prik begin with roasting or grilling the aromatics — shallots, garlic, and dried chilli all benefit from charring before pounding. The char adds smoky depth that raw aromatics cannot produce - Pounding order matters: hardest ingredients first (dried chilli, garlic), then softer (shallot, lemongrass), then moist (shrimp paste, fresh chilli) — each addition built on the previous - The balance is adjusted at the end — tasting after each liquid addition (lime, fish sauce) until the four-flavour equilibrium is reached - Nam prik improves with brief resting — the aromatics integrate over 30 minutes before the relish reaches its best expression
THOMPSON THAI ADDITIONAL + DUNLOP SICHUAN ADDITIONAL