Kratiem prik Thai is a Thai sauce made of three main ingredients: Garlic (kratiem), pepper (prik Thai), and coriander roots (pak chee). To be specific, we will be using prik Thai dam which is black pepper. It is so simple but the combination of the three flavours are absolutely delish. For super extra garlic fragrance we also top it with golden fried garlic. This is definitely one for the garlic aficionados!
Next time you use coriander leaves in your dishes, don’t throw the roots away! They add a very important flavour profile to many Thai dishes and curry pastes. Now, for a stronger flavour you can use just the coriander roots in this dish. I chose to use both the roots and stems in the paste. I also used the leaves for garnish to utilize the whole herb.
One thing about me—if you haven’t already discovered—is that I am weirdly pedantic about some things. One of those strange things is buying the exact kitchen implement that I want. In this case, I want a particular granite mortar and pestle set. And, because I can’t get it here, I have refused to get an alternative. So I do all my pounding with a cling film-wrapped dumpling rolling pin and a stainless steel bowl. Honestly, it doesn’t work anywhere near as well as a proper heavy mortar and pestle. So feel free to use a good one or a blender!
Ingredients
- Kratiem Prik Sauce
- For topping
Instructions
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Cut your coriander roots and stems into small pieces, making sure to bash the root part.
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Pound the coriander, skinned garlic cloves, and black pepper.
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When the garlic has fallen into pieces, add the sugar and soy sauce. Continue to pound, rubbing in a circular motion to help mash the ingredients.
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This is where I stopped. The whole pounding process should take about 20 minutes. You can continue pounding into it is a very fine paste if you like.
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Cut your tofu into little blocks.
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Marinate the tofu in the kratiem prik sauce for at least 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry the remaining garlic clove until golden. Remove the garlic for later, leaving the oil in the pan.
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Heat the oil up again and add the marinated tofu and all the marinade into the pan.
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Stir-fry until the sauce is dry.
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Plate and top with the golden fried garlic and the coriander leaves.
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Serve hot with rice!
