The name of this spread is Nam prik Pao in Thai, Nam prik = Chili paste, Pao = burn. In English, it is called Thai Chili Paste which has light spiciness in comparison to most "Nam prik" in Thailand.
Burning spices is the process to get the color and aroma such as caramel, smoking and grilling meat. The burn spread is made of chili and other spices that are fried in low temperature. Another version of this spread or paste is called "Forest burning spread" which indicated the higher scale of spiciness (If you like). The home made version can be replaced with peporoni instead of dried chilis.
How to make?
1. Fry dried chili, shallot, garlic separately at low temperature
2. Mix fried shrimps and dried shrimps together, then crush them in a mortar (Blender works as well)
3. Fry all ingredients at medium temperature
4. Add fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarin sauce
Voila! Here is your new favorite burning spread.
What can you do with this spread?
1. Dipping sauce with deep fried food or chips:
2. Add in any noodle soup, especially "Tom Yam":
3. Make a crispy snack with dough:
As its name has a similar sound as the english pronounciation of the the swiss city "Bern". Let's go there!
Bern is de facto the capital city of Switzerland (The country does not have a 'capital city' as this would "contradict the federal nature of Switzerland" and therefore is officially called "federal city", but that is a completely different story), located on a crook or curvature of the Aare river:
The Neo-Renaissance style Swiss Parliament building is called Bundeshaus (de), Palais fédéral (fr), Palazzo federale (it) or Chasa Federala (rm). All which all translates to english "Federal house/palace":
The old town dated back to the 12th century, the medieval architecture attracts tourists from around the world. Also famous is the the "Bear Pit", so called "Bärengraben" :
The bears used to be kept in this pits, but now only bear statues remain.
The current location of bear pit is like a mini zoo, so called "Bear Park". It is only for bears. (Left side of river):
According to legends, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed in 1191 to choose the name of his new city from the first animal he hunted in the forest - which happened to be a bear:
Another place is in the Swiss Animal Park, Goldau where you can see happy brown bears. They live in a huge space that resembles their natural environment:
Since the brown bear is the symbol of the city and canton of Bern, the coat of arms and shield of Bern is the bear with white shield.
After that, they kept bears in the city since 1513, the first bear pit was located at the still existing "Bärenplatz" (Bear Plaza/Square), created when the Bernese returned home from the Battle of Novara with the captures and a living bear as a loot. This place is located near the parliament and it turned to be a part of square center.
So Bern comes from "Bär" (bear) and has nothing to do with "burning".
The name "Burn" indicated that it could cause the tongue on fire for some people. In fact, some brands make it quite sweet, so it is called "Thai Sweet Chili Paste". For less burning effect, make your homemade "Burn Spread" or Thai Sweet Chili Paste or use only the chili oil for cooking.
Have a little sweet burn! Why not?
If you wish to make a little spicy pig in blanket, please watch our vdo. Thank you!
