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–+ servings
a bowl of nam jim jeaw with cilantro and dried chilies in the background

Thai Dipping Sauce for Meat (Nam Jim Jeaw)

By: Pailin Chongchitnant
This is Thai people's #1 go-to sauce for meat; especially grilled and barbecued meats. Works great on beef, pork, chicken and firmer fish such as salmon.
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
 
 

"Original" All-Purpose Nam Jim Jeaw

  • 1 tablespoon jasmine rice or glutinous rice, uncooked
  • 2 tablespoon tamarind paste, (see note 1)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
  • 2 tablespoon finely diced shallots
  • 1 teaspoon toasted chili flakes, or to taste (see note 2)
  • 3 tablespoon chopped herbs such as cilantro, green onions, mint, or sawtooth coriander

Light Nam Jim Jeaw (see note 3)

  • 1 tablespoon jasmine rice or glutinous rice, uncooked
  • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, or sub another ½ tablespoon lime (see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted chili flakes, or to taste (see note 2)
  • 2 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 3 tablespoon chopped herbs such as cilantro, green onions, mint, or sawtooth coriander

Mellower Tomato Jeaw (see note 3)

  • 1 recipe All-Purpose Nam Jim Jeaw, from above
  • ⅓ cup small diced juicy tomatoes

Notes

  1. Use tamarind paste from Thailand which comes in plastic tubs or glass jars. Sometimes they're labelled "tamarind concentrate." Do not use tamarind paste from India for this.
  2. Toasting the chili flakes are optional but adds a nice smokiness. You can buy store bought chili flakes and toast them in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes until they darken and smell smokey. Or buy whole dried chilies, toast them in a dry skillet until charred spots form, then grind in a coffee grinder. (Arbol chilies are a good "medium heat" option.)
  3. Light jeaw is what I prefer for delicate meats (hot pot) or very fatty meats (pork belly). Mellower tomato jeaw is less intense and allows you to use it as a "spoon-over" sauce, as opposed to a dipping sauce, without it becoming overpowering. More info on these variations in the blog post!

Instructions
 

For All-Purpose and Light Nam Jim Jeaw

  • Make the toasted rice powder by adding the raw rice into a small dry skillet over medium high heat. Stir constantly until the grains are dark brown (it may get a bit smokey). Remove from the pan immediately to stop the toasting, and grind into a powder using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder.
    1 tablespoon jasmine rice or glutinous rice
  • In a small bowl, combine the tamarind paste, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar; stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
    *If using chopped palm sugar, any stubborn chunks that won't dissolve after a good stirring should dissolve in 5 minutes or so as they sit in the liquid. So no need to worry about them unless you're serving it immediately; in which case you can warm it up in the microwave briefly (5-8 seconds) to help the final bits of sugar dissolve. Smashing the chunks with a spoon will also help.
    2 tablespoon tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon palm sugar
  • Add the shallots and chili flakes and stir to mix.
    2 tablespoon finely diced shallots, 1 teaspoon toasted chili flakes
  • Close to serving time, add the toasted rice powder and all of the fresh herbs; stir to mix.
    1 tablespoon jasmine rice or glutinous rice, 3 tablespoon chopped herbs such as cilantro, green onions, mint, or sawtooth coriander

For the Mellow Tomato Jeaw

  • Make the all-purpose jeaw as per instructions above, and stir in the diced tomatoes along with the fresh herbs. If you can, let it sit for a few minutes before serving to allow flavours to mingle.
    ⅓ cup small diced juicy tomatoes
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