Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat | Vegetarian Chili Paste Recipe

Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat is a vegetarian chili paste and a versatile condiment that will spice up any Thai or Chinese recipe. This vegetarian chili paste recipe is a must-have condiment for spicy food lovers.

When I saw this Vegetarian Chili Paste recipe on the website of Thai Table, I immediately wanted to make it and bookmarked the recipe. This has been sitting in my folder for almost 8 months, and now that I have finally made it, I am so glad that I did.

This Vegetarian Chili paste is going to be one condiment that I will be using in almost all the dishes. The distinctive spicy flavor that we get in Thai dishes and Chinese dishes, when we order the food hot (spicy) is from this chili paste.

Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat is a very versatile hot sauce that can be added to any Thai, Chinese, or Mexican dish. The balance of heat and sour, along with the mild sweetness, works great.

The other day, I used this Vegetarian Chili Paste as a side for the idlis, and all I can say is, it was simply WOW! It reminded me of the Poondu milagai podi, and I kept going back to it again and again. Also, it tasted great with Kichdi and Dosa. I have yet to try with Parathas.

My older son, who loves garlic, had it with his thachi Mammam (Curd rice), and he was all praise for it. The aroma of the shallots and garlic still lingers in my kitchen, and if you are a spice and garlic lover, this recipe is for you.

Preparation time - 10 mins
Cooking time - 40 mins
Difficulty level - easy

Ingredients needed to make Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat

• Dry red Chili - 1 cup
• Shallot - ½ cup (whole)
• Garlic - ½ cup
• Salt - 1tsp
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Tamarind paste - ½ tbsp
• Cooking oil - 1 cup

Step-by-step Process To Make Vegetarian Chili Paste -  

• Peel shallots and garlic. The uncut shallot and garlic should roughly measure about ½ cup (a little more or less is fine). For ease of making, I bought peeled garlic pods instead of whole ones.

• In a food processor or blender, mince the shallot and garlic separately. We will fry them both separately since they both have different cooking times.

• Add ¼ cup of oil to a pan and heat it. Add the dried red chili and fry, stirring constantly. Take care not to burn the peppers. Keep stirring them constantly and fry over a low flame, until the red chilies are dark. Transfer the chilies to a large bowl.

• In the same pan, add ¼ cup of oil and fry the minced shallots. Fry the shallots until they turn light brown in color. This should take about 10 minutes. Pour the fried shallots out in the same bowl as the red chilies.

• In the same pan, add ¼ cup of oil and fry the minced garlic. Fry them until golden brown and then drain them in the same bowl along with the others. Garlic should fry faster than the shallots.

• Now, add all the fried ingredients to a blender jar or food processor jar and add the salt, sugar, and tamarind paste. Pulse until the chilies are ground and well-mixed.

• Transfer the ground mixture back to the same pan that we used for frying and add the remaining oil.

• Fry the chili paste over low heat for about 15 minutes. At this stage, you could also just heat it through for 5 mins, but the longer they fry, the better shelf life they have. Taste the chili paste and adjust the sweetness or the sourness based on your liking.

Expert tips and FAQ's to make the best Vegetarian Chili Paste

• The amounts mentioned above are based on how much I used to make. If you like them spicier, go ahead and add more chili, or reduce the chili if you like.
• If preferred, you could use up to ½ cup more oil.
• Use good-quality fresh garlic and shallots. 
• Fry the chili paste a little longer for more shelf life. 

Other Vegan Ideas

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter/X

Recipe

Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat

Nam Prig Pud Mungsa Vrat is a vegetarian chili paste and a versatile condiment that will spice any Thai or Chinese recipe. This vegetarian chili paste recipe is a must have condiment for spicy food lover.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: spices and condiments

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

• ▢
  food processor
• ▢
  Stove

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup Dry red Chili
• ▢ ½ cup Shallot whole
• ▢ ½ cup Garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Sugar
• ▢ ½ tablespoon Tamarind paste
• ▢ 1 cup Cooking oil

Instructions

• Peel shallots and garlic. The uncut shallot and garlic should roughly measure about ½ cup (little more or less is fine). For the ease of making, I bought peeled garlic pods instead of the whole ones.
• In a food processor or the blender, mince the shallot and garlic separately. We will fry them both separately since they both have different cooking time.
• Add ¼ cup of oil in a pan and heat it. Add the dried red chili and fry, stirring constantly. Take care not to burn the peppers. Keep stirring them constantly and fry over low flame, until the red chilies are dark. Transfer the chilies to a large bowl.
• In the same pan, add ¼ cup oil and fry the minced shallots. Fry the shallots until they turn light brown in color. This should take about 10 mins. Pour the fried shallots out in the same bowl as the red chilies.
• In the same pan, add ¼ cup of oil and fry the minced garlic. Fry them until golden brown and then drain it in the same bowl along with the others. Garlic should fry faster than the shallots.
• Now add all the fried ingredients in a blender jar or food processor jar and add the salt, sugar and tamarind paste. Pulse until the chilies are ground and well mixed.
• Transfer the ground mixture back to the same pan that we used for frying and add the remaining oil. Fry the chili paste over low heat for about 15 mins. At this stage you could also just heat it through for 5 mins, but the longer they fry the better shelf life they have. Taste the chili paste and adjust the sweetness or the sourness based on your liking.

Notes

Expert tips and FAQ's

• The amounts mentioned above are based on how much I used to make. If you like them spicier, go ahead and add more chili, or reduce the chili if you like.
• If preferred you could use up to ½ cup more oil.
• Use good quality fresh garlic and shallot. 
• Fry the chili paste a little longer for more shelf life. 

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3507IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!