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Thai · Lao

Nam jim jaew

Non-vegetarian

น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว · nam chim chaeo

Smoky, sour and fiery dipping sauce from Isan and Laos: fish sauce, lime and tamarind with toasted chilli flakes and nutty toasted sticky-rice powder.

Nam jim jaew is a Thai sauce, ready in about 16 minutes and made with glutinous rice, fish sauce and red chilli flakes. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
6 min
Total
16 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
51

Ingredients

4 servings of 30 ml

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toast the raw sticky rice (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan, shaking often, until deep golden and nutty. Cool, then pound to a coarse powder.

  2. Step 2

    Dissolve the palm sugar (opens in a new tab) in the fish sauce (opens in a new tab), lime juice (opens in a new tab) and tamarind, pressing with a spoon.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the chilli flakes (opens in a new tab), shallot (opens in a new tab), coriander and spring onion (opens in a new tab), then the rice powder just before serving so it stays crunchy.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Isan (northeast Thailand) and Laos · Commonly attributedShared Lao and Isan tradition; jaew is the Lao word for this family of dips.Also popular in Thailand, Laos
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Toasted, No-cook
Taste
sour, spicy (chilli heat), smoky, salty
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food
Cook more with
Glutinous rice · Fish sauce · Red chilli flakes · Lime juice · Tamarind paste · Jaggery / palm sugar
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

51 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 35 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 86%
  • Fat 3%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy51 kcal145 kcal
Protein1.4 g4 g
Carbohydrate11.8 g33.8 g
Net carbohydrate10.9 g31.2 g
Sugars——
Added sugars3.2 g9.2 g
Fibre0.9 g2.5 g
Fat0.2 g0.7 g
Saturated fat0 g0.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium1049 mg2998 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g7.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
137 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
33 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
25 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
13 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: spring onion.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • Red chilli flakes: Ground cayenne (FDC 170932) used as a stand-in for dried chilli flakes such as pul biber or Aleppo pepper.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Make a jar of toasted rice powder at once — it keeps for weeks and seasons larb too.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the rice powder too early — it absorbs the liquid and turns pasty.

Serve with

  • With gai yang, grilled pork neck (kor moo yang), sticky rice and raw vegetables.
  • Beside crying tiger beef (suea rong hai).

Storage

  • Best fresh; the liquid keeps 3 days refrigerated — add rice powder and herbs when serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

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