Traditional Thai Shrimp Paste Chili Dip

Lightly roast or grill the shrimp paste in a dry pan over low heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. This step is optional but enhances the flavor.

In a sturdy mortar and pestle, add the bird's eye chilies and garlic cloves. Pound them until they are roughly crushed and fragrant.

Add the roasted shrimp paste to the mortar. Continue to pound until it is well combined with the chilies and garlic, forming a rough paste.

Add the palm sugar to the mortar. Pound until the sugar dissolves and mixes thoroughly into the paste.

Stir in the fresh lime juice and fish sauce. Mix well with the pestle, gently bruising the pea eggplants if you are using them to release their flavor.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of warm water to achieve your desired consistency. The dip should be thick but pourable.

Taste and adjust the balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet flavors. Add more lime juice for sourness, fish sauce for saltiness, palm sugar for sweetness, or chilies for more heat as needed.

Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and an assortment of fresh or blanched vegetables like cucumber, cabbage, long beans, or fried mackerel.