Tantalizing Thai Mushroom dip with vegetables

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that blanched vegetables could really be appetizing and worth craving for? Well, this spicy Thai Mushroom dip or Nam Phrik Hed recipe will convince you, as it’s perfect for any blanched or fresh vegetables.

What is vegetarian fish sauce?

This dish is from Northern Thailand and originally uses fish sauce. Fish sauce (or “Nuoc Mam” in Vietnamese or “Nam Pla” in Thai) adds a distinctive umami flavor to food and is a key ingredient in this recipe. Here’s a vegetarian recipe using vegan fish sauce. You may wonder what is “vegan fish sauce”? Of course the vegetarian or vegan fish sauce does not contain any fish, but it adds a salty and enhanced flavor to the dishes. There are many types of vegetarian and vegan fish sauces out there, but they are not created equal. Stay away from any vegetarian or vegan fish sauce that contains vinegar, lime juice or seaweed. A good brand of vegetarian fish sauce is from the Labode brand from Vietnam and is made with pineapple juice, and is available from some Asian stores. If you can’t find it in your neighborhood, a good alternative is another vegan fish sauce from Amazon (see the “Related Products” at the bottom of this post).

What vegetables to use?

The Thai mushroom dip is served with raw and blanched or steamed vegetables, and boiled eggs. You can pick your favorite vegetables like carrot, celery, cucumber sticks, bell peppers or blanched/steamed vegetables. Here I have used vegetables that take around the same amount of time to steam, for practical reasons. For a vegan version, you can skip the boiled eggs.

I have picked vegetables that could be steamed together with the eggs to save time. Cover the steamer, set over boiling water and steam for 8 to 8-1/2 minutes to get perfect hard boiled eggs and steamed vegetables.

In addition to the steamed vegetables, I have added fresh radish, bell peppers and cucumbers. You can use any vegetables that you have on hand!

What kind of mushrooms to use?

The authentic Thai dip recipe uses fresh straw mushrooms which are not easy to find in the US. I have substituted with cremini mushrooms which work really well. The sliced mushrooms are lightly coated with oil and baked for 20 minutes.

How to prepare the shallots, garlic, chilis and mushrooms dip?

Some recipes call for the shallots, garlic, chilis to be dry fried in a frying pan till slightly charred. I prefer to broil them in the toaster oven for a few minutes.

How to mix the dip ingredients?

Traditionally, the dip ingredients are pounded together with a mortar and pestle. As a shortcut, you can also use a food processor.

1 and 2 – Put the charred chili, shallots and garlic in mortar and pound till crushed

3 – Add the baked mushrooms

4 – Pound all ingredients together to form a mushy paste

Mix the vegetarian fish sauce with the sugar, add the fresh lime juice. Mix the spice mixture and the liquid together to make the Thai Spicy Mushroom dip. Garnish with coriander.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms (Straw or Cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced)
• 2 shallots
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 5 to 8 dried chilis (or Thai chilis)
• 3 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce (if using real fish sauce, use 2 tablespoons only)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar (preferably palm sugar).
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Garnish

• Assorted vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, okras, bell peppers, radish etc.
• 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs (optional)
• Chopped coriander
• Cooked sticky rice

Instructions

• Place the shallots, garlic and chilis in an oven-safe small plate and toast / broil till slightly charred
• Preheat oven to 350F / 180 C
• Place the sliced mushrooms in a baking tray, coat evenly with the vegetable oil, bake for 20 minutes
• With mortar and pestle, pound the charred shallots, garlic and chilis to obtain a paste
• Add the baked mushrooms, continue to pound to get a mushy mixture
• In a bowl, blend the vegetarian fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Add the mushroom / shallots / garlic and chilis mixture and mix well
• Blanch or steam the vegetable. For the okras, carrots and cabbage and eggs, I have steamed over boiling water for 8 minutes.
• Serve the spicy mushroom dip with the vegetable and sticky rice.

This recipe is simple, easy to prepare but packs tons of flavors and is super light and healthy!

For more delicious Vegetarian dishes, check my Lao salad recipe.

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Related Products

Vegan Fish Sauce (Nuoc Mam Chay) 23oz Bottle

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Pure Palm Sugar

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