Buey Nam Prik (Minced beef with salted plums)

A dense, glossy beef paste where the oils gently rise to the surface. It balances the pungency of shrimp paste, the heat of chilies, and the salty acidity of plums cutting through the meat's richness.

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 25 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 462
• Protein: 30 g
• Carbs: 20 g
• Fat: 27 g

Ingredients

• 400 g Ground beef 15% fat ( fresh )
• 4 piece umeboshi ( pitted and mashed )
• 4 piece Garlic ( peeled cloves )
• 2 piece Red onion ( chopped )
• 3 piece Thai chili ( according to heat tolerance )
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste ( fermented )
• 2 piece Round tomato ( finely diced )
• 1 tbsp palm sugar ( grated )
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp Peanut oil
• 1 piece Fresh cilantro optional ( chopped bunch )
• 5 piece Dried red chilies ( rehydrated in hot water and seeded )

Instructions

1. Preparation of the aromatic base

   In a mortar, pound the rehydrated dried red chilies, garlic, red onion, and Thai chilies until a coarse paste is formed. Add the shrimp paste and pound again to combine.

2. Sautéing the paste

   Heat the peanut oil in a wok. When it starts to smoke slightly, add the aromatic paste. Stir constantly until the fermentation smell becomes pleasant and the color darkens to a brick red.

3. Cooking the meat

   Add the ground beef. Break up the meat with a spatula to separate the grains; we don't want large chunks. The meat should be seared and well coated with the paste.

4. Seasoning and reduction

   Stir in the finely chopped tomatoes and the previously pitted and crushed umeboshi plums. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Simmer over low heat until the tomato juice has evaporated and the sauce coats the meat.

5. Finishing

   Garnish generously with fresh cilantro before serving with sticky rice or raw vegetables.

Chef's tips

• The secret is in the reduction: tomato juices must evaporate completely, leaving only the spice-infused meat fats.
• If you don't have a mortar, chop everything very finely with a knife, but don't blend: we want texture, not a liquid puree.

Storage

Keeps for 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. The flavor improves the next day.