This Thai chili dipping sauce or nam jim jaew น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว is sweet, sour and mildly hot. It's a very quick and easy recipe that doesn't call for any tamarind, and great with any type of grilled or fried meat, sticky rice, and fresh vegetables. If you're a fan of Thai food, you're definitely going to love this flavorful sauce!
Why This Recipe Works
Nam jim jaew is a dipping sauce originating from Isan or the Northeastern region of Thailand. Though, you can easily find it throughout the country, as Isan people move to different parts of Thailand. Many of them open an Isan restaurant or become a street food vendor selling Isan food.
To many Thais, this sauce is a favorite because it's got everything you need. It's sour, sweet, spicy, and comes with a smoky flavor and crunchy texture from toasted rice powder. Also, it's super easy to make and so, so good with grilled and fried meat (or even fish!) whether the meat is cooked Western or Thai style.
You should definitely try it with sticky rice and my Thai style grilled pork neck!
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Thai Chili Flakes: While a few other Thai sauces use fresh chilis, nam jim jaew is different in that it uses roasted Thai dried chili flakes or prik bon.
In order to make the best version of this Thai chili dipping sauce, I highly recommend you make your own Thai chili flakes (you can click the link to see my how-to guide).
As everyone's level of tolerance to spicy food is different, you can use more or less Thai chili flakes than suggested. Keep in mind that nam jim jaew isn't supposed to be super spicy. However, if that's what you like, then go for it!
Toasted Rice Powder: Again I recommend using homemade toasted rice powder (khao kua). You can adjust the amount to suit your preference. Toasted rice powder brings a crunchy texture and some thickness to the sauce. So, if you want your jaew sauce to be thicker, use more toasted rice powder. If you want it runnier, use less of it.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cut and remove the root of the green onion, finely chop the rest, and set aside.
Step 2: Peel the shallots and slice them thinly then set aside.
Step 3: Pour the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar to a bowl and use a spoon to stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Step 4: Add the chili flakes and continue to stir.
Step 5: When ready to serve, add the toasted rice powder and stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
Step 6: Add the chopped green onion and sliced shallots and stir again before serving.
Tips
1. Keep the toasted rice powder, green onions and shallots separated until ready to serve. This can prevent the issues of the powder absorbing the sauce and drying it out, and the fresh ingredients getting too mushy.
2. Depending on your preference, if you want to increase thickness of the sauce, use more toasted rice powder than suggested. If you want it to be runnier, use less.
How Long Can You Keep Jaew Sauce?
As it contains fresh ingredients like shallots, green onion, and lime juice, this sauce is best when still fresh.
However, if you follow the tip suggested above, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, which also means you can make it in advance and add the toasted rice powder, green onion, and shallots when ready to eat or serve.
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📖 Recipe
Thai Chili Dipping Sauce | Nam Jim Jaew | น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว
Ingredients
- 1 green onion
- 2 shallots
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Thai chili flakes buy these here or learn how to make them from this post
- 1 tablespoon toasted rice powder buy this here or learn how to make it from this post
Instructions
- Cut and remove the root of the green onion, finely chop the rest, and set aside.
- Peel the shallots and slice them thinly then set aside.
- Pour the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar to a bowl and use a spoon to stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Add the chili flakes and continue to stir.
- When ready to serve, add the toasted rice powder and stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add the chopped green onion and sliced shallots and stir again before serving.
Video
Notes
- Keep the toasted rice powder, green onions and shallots separated until ready to serve. This can prevent the issues of the powder absorbing the sauce and drying it out, and the fresh ingredients getting too mushy.
- Depending on your preference, if you want to increase thickness of the sauce, use more toasted rice powder than suggested. If you want it to be runnier, use less.