Nam tok (food) facts for kids
kuai-tiao nam tok, noodle soup darkened with raw blood in Bangkok
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| Place of origin | Laos, Northeastern Thailand (Isan) |
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| Main ingredients | stock, blood |
Nam tok is a tasty dish from Southeast Asia, especially popular in Laos and Thailand. The name "Nam tok" means "waterfall" in both the Lao and Thai language.
This dish can be either a type of soup or a fresh meat salad. It's a very important part of the food culture in these countries.
Contents
What is Nam Tok?
Nam tok is a traditional dish that comes in two main forms. Both are very popular and have unique flavors. One is a rich soup, and the other is a spicy meat salad.
Nam Tok as a Soup
In Central Thailand, nam tok is often a spicy soup. This soup gets its special color and rich taste from a traditional ingredient: a small amount of animal blood. This ingredient is commonly used in Thai cooking to make noodle dishes more flavorful.
Popular Noodle Soup
One of the most famous nam tok soups is called kuai-tiao mu nam tok. This delicious noodle soup includes:
- Broth
- Noodles
- Bean sprouts
- Pieces of liver
- Pork
- Dumplings
- Green vegetables
- Spices
This soup has a deep, rich flavor that many people love. You can often find it sold by street vendors in small food stalls across Thailand. It's a quick and tasty meal!
Nam Tok as a Meat Salad
Nam tok can also be a fresh meat dish, popular in the Isan region of Thailand and in Lao cuisine. This version is similar to larb, which is a famous Lao dish. The main difference is that nam tok uses sliced meat instead of minced (finely chopped) meat.
Types of Meat Salad
- In Lao, this dish is called ping sin nam tok.
- In Thai, if it's made with beef, it's called nuea yang nam tok. This means "waterfall grilled beef."
- If it's made with pork, it's called mu nam tok, or "waterfall pork."
The name "waterfall" might refer to the fact that the meat is still juicy, like water dripping.
Salad Dressing and Sides
The special dressing for this meat salad is made with:
- Ground roasted rice
- Ground dried chilies
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Shallots
- Mint leaves
- Sometimes, spring onions
This salad is usually eaten with sticky rice. It also comes with fresh, raw vegetables like thua fak yao (long beans) and kalam pli (cabbage). These fresh vegetables add a nice crunch and balance to the spicy salad.
Images for kids
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Nam tok-noodle ingredients in Thailand. The upper right pot has raw pig's blood that will be added to the noodle soup preparations
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Nuea yang nam tok, sliced grilled beef in a spicy "dressing" with shallots and mint
See also
In Spanish: Nam tok para niños
