Thai condiment caddy, stainless, 4 glasses
The condiment caddy is found in nearly every restaurant in Thailand, and here we have for a reasonable price the finest quality set we could find. Known in Thai as a "Puang Prik", the caddy itself is made of stainless steel. Also stainless steel are the long spoons, perfectly shaped for scooping, and the lids that cover the glasses.
You get four glasses, four lids, four spoons and the caddy itself. The capacity of each glass is 3/4 cup. The caddy is 6 inches tall, from base to the top of the handle (not too big, not too small).
Aside from being a true authentic Thai food required accessory, it might be a fun way to present non-Thai spices, jams, bacon bits, relish, onions, ice cream toppings, candy, or anything else you can think of.
Our Thai condiment caddy has four covered glasses each with a long spoon shaped just for the purpose of scooping out whatever's inside.
In Thailand you'll typically find the following in each glass, at every table:
Fish sauce
Sugar
White vinegar with sliced fresh Thai chile
Ground dried chile
Then, alongside those four, a separate small dish with fish sauce and sliced fresh chile.
Top - Lids
Side
Condiment Caddy
Condiment Caddy
Spoon
Condiment Caddy
Condiment Caddy
Box
Made in Thailand
In American restaurants, the caddy is usually only brought out for diners upon request (for those "in the know") and what's inside is up to the restaurant. At right is the puang prik one of our local restaurants brought us, consisting of ground dried chile, sliced jalapeno in vinegar, sliced Thai chile in fish sauce, and sriracha sauce.
The Thai Condiment Caddy, and What Goes Into The Little Glasses
Original Thai Condiment Caddy Contents:
1. Fish Sauce
2. Sugar
3. Ground Chile Peppers
4. Chilli/Garlic/Vinegar Sauce*
* Chili/Garlic/Vinegar sauce recipe:
1 cup Fresh RED chiles
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup garlic, peeled
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pound garlic then chiles in a mortar & pestle. Add remaining ingredients, stir well.
In American Thai restaurants we notice a slightly different set of ingredients in the condiment caddy. Sometimes sugar is missing, and usually "Nampla Prik" is added to the caddy. In Thailand, Nampla Prik is served on the side in a little dish, not in the condiment caddy.
Are you familiar with Nampla Prik? Spoon a bit over each bite, just before you are about to eat it. We love Nampla Prik, and always serve it alongside so many Thai recipes especially fried rice. Making a little batch is so easy.
Assorted Thai Table Condiments
In Thailand the first two condiments below (Nam pla prik and Prik dong) are likely be on every household's table together with a separate small dish of plain white sugar and a separate small dish of ground chili powder. Spoonfulls of each are added to suit individual taste. We suggest you make a portion of Nam pla prik and Prik dong and keep in a jar (non refrigerated) for serving as a condiment in this manner. These condiments keep very well.
Prik Si-iew wan, kratiem dong and Khing Ki mao are less common and usually served for particular dishes.
Our Thai Condiment Caddy is a nice way to serve these.