A soft, smoky green-chilli dip of roasted long green chillies pounded with charred shallot, garlic and lime, eaten with sticky rice, crackling and steamed vegetables.
Nam prik is the backbone of the northern meal, a chilli relish eaten with sticky rice and vegetables rather than as a sauce. Nam prik noom uses mild long green chillies roasted over flame until the skins blister, then pounded with charred garlic and shallot, fish sauce and lime into a soft, smoky, spoonable paste. It is almost always served alongside nam prik ong, a tomato-and-pork red version, with a platter of steamed and raw vegetables, crisp pork crackling (khaep moo) and a basket of sticky rice. Together they define the shared, hands-on rhythm of a Lanna table.
3 editor picks for Nam prik noom in Chiang Mai, ranked by editorial score. All Chiang Mai signature dishes · Nam prik noom across every city.
Huen Muan Jai ★ 4.6
chang-phueak · 24 Ratchaphuek Alley, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A garden Lanna house and longtime Michelin Bib Gourmand, plating northern curries, herb sausage and smoky chili dips under its wooden garden pavilions.
Huen Phen ★ 4.5
old-city · 112 Ratchamanka Road, Phra Singh, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A 50-year Old City institution south of Wat Chedi Luang, serving a full Lanna spread by day and a candlelit antique-crammed dinner room by night.
Tong Tem Toh ★ 4.3
nimman · 11 Nimmanhaemin Soi 13, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
The teak-and-brick Nimman courtyard where students and tourists queue for a broad northern menu of herb sausage, chili dips and sticky rice.