Home · Recipes · Nam jim jaew, toasted rice and chilli dipping sauce
Cook something good
Nam jim jaew, toasted rice and chilli dipping sauce
Nam jim jaew is the dark, sour and smoky dipping sauce served with grilled meat all over Isan, made with fish sauce, lime, tamarind, dried chilli and toasted rice. Dip a ball of sticky rice or a piece of grilled chicken straight into it.
- 12 minutes
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 2 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (the sour pulp of the tamarind pod)
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes, preferably toasted
- 1 tablespoon khao khua (toasted sticky rice ground to a coarse powder), bought or made at home, see the tips
- 1 small shallot, very finely chopped
- A small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Let's cook
- Put the fish sauce, lime juice, tamarind paste and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in the chilli flakes. For a deeper, smokier taste, first toast the flakes in a dry pan for 30 seconds, watching closely so they do not burn.
- Add the shallot, then taste: it should be sour first, then salty, with a little sweetness and plenty of heat. Add more lime or sugar to balance.
- Just before serving, stir in the khao khua and coriander. The rice powder thickens the sauce slightly and gives it a nutty crunch.
- Spoon into small bowls, one between two people, for dipping.
- Eat it the same day once the rice powder is in; it softens and thickens as it sits.
Tips
- To make khao khua yourself, toast 3 tablespoons of uncooked sticky rice in a dry frying pan on a medium low heat, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden and smelling of popcorn. Cool, then grind to coarse sand in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. It keeps for 2 weeks in a sealed jar.
- Without the rice powder and herbs, the sauce keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add them fresh each time.
Swaps
- No tamarind: use an extra tablespoon of lime juice.
- Milder: use half the chilli flakes and add a little finely chopped red pepper for colour.
Tags
Contains: Fish .
Fish (fish sauce). Check the fish sauce has no wheat added, and check the tamarind paste label, since a few brands add preservatives such as sulphites.
Check every packet for allergens.