Chili & Tomato Dip (nam Prik Num)

Serves:

Ingredients:

2 lg Banana chilies or New
-Mexican or yellow wax hot
-chilies
3 lg Shallots, peeled and halved
5 Cloves garlic, peeled
2 Medium-sized ripe tomatoes
-(1/2 lb.)
1 tb Chopped fresh cilantro
2 tb Fish sauce
1 tb Fresh lime juice

Method:

Serve as a dip with raw vegetables or as a condiment.
If the chilies are very hot, you may want to seed them.
Dry-frying, a method of roasting, is simply frying without fat.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat.
Add whole chilies and dry-fry for about 4 minutes, pressing down with a wooden spoon and turning occasionally.
Add shallots and garlic to the skillet and continue to dry-fry, turning occasionally.
for about 5 minutes, or until the chili skins are blackened.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool.
Add tomatoes to the skillet and dry-fry for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the skins are blackened.
Let cool.
Remove stems from the chilies and cut in half lengthwise.
(Do not remove skins.
) Remove seeds if you prefer less heat.
Core the tomatoes and cut into quarters.
(Do not remove skins.
) Place chilies, tomatoes, shallots and garlic in a food processor and, pulsing, process until the mixture is coarsely chopped and salsa-like in texture (not pureed).
Alternatively, chop vegetables finely with a knife.
Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in cilantro, fish sauce and lime juice.
(The dip can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
) Makes 1 1/4 cups.
7 CALORIES PER TABLESPOON: 0 G PROTEIN, 0 G FAT, 2 G CARBOHYDRATE; 12 MG SODIUM; 0 MG CHOLESTEROL.
From "Eating Well", Jan/Feb, 1992.