Nam prik pao (aka Thai chilli jam) is a highly versatile, delicious, fiery hot, sweet-sour condiment, commonly used to flavour lighter dishes such as tom yam, tom kha, banana flower salad, stir-fries, and both fried and steamed rice.
Fry the shallots in 100ml oil for 3-5 mins, until they are golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the wok, and place onto a couple of pieces of kitchen roll to drain.
Add the garlic to the same wok, and again, fry until golden and crispy - around 3 mins.
At the same time, in another wok (or skillet), over a medium heat, dry-roast the dried chillies (no need to use any oil) for around 2 mins, until they begin to give off some chilli aroma. Don't inhale this! Keep the chillis moving all the time to prevent burning.
Place the shallots, garlic, dried chillis, and the remaining ingredients - except the oil - into a food processor or blender, and blitz for a few seconds, until you have a thin, coarse paste.
Transfer the paste to a skillet or , and cook for 15-20 mins over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it has reached a thick-ish, jam-like consistency.
Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Some oil will rise to the top, that's fine - no need to skim it off.
Store in an airtight jar in the 'fridge - it'll keep for several months.