Young tamarind (or tomatillo) dip - nam prik makham orn

1. Use this as a dip for all sorts of vegetables such as small eggplants, cucumbers, summer squash, lettuce, carrots, celery, long beans, etc. With rice this can be a whole meal.

2. 1. Pound the vegetables together to a chunky paste, with the shrimp paste. Or use a food processor or blender.

3. 2. Fry the pork in oil till it is no longer pink.

4. 3. Combine and add fish sauce and sugar.

5. Tips
You can fry the shrimp paste with the pork or grill it a bit to take away the edge.

6. Tomatilloes work as a substitute for the tamarind.

7. You can find frozen young tamarind pods in Asian grocery stores. Or if you live in a subtropical to tropical area tamarind is often a commonly planted ornamental.

8. You can use any ground meat or fish for the pork. Tofu or tempeh, or other vegetables such as long beans work well for a vegetarian dish.