NAM JIM JAEW (THAI CHILI SAUCE)

We Thais, we looooooove sauces and spices. You will never find a Thai dish without seasoning or sauce (except Jasmin rice). This Nam Jim Jaew (Thai Chili Sauce) is no exception. It’s spicy, tangy, sweet, salty and smoky. The flavor profile is so complex (yep, using big words ha ha!). It’s so perfect for my Thai Grilled Pork recipe. But let’s be honest, you can dip any meat (grilled chicken, pork, beef…) in this awesome sauce.

For seafood lovers, I have another sauce recipe that I’m super proud of and it’s one of the top 10 fan favorites for many months, check out the Thai Seafood Sauce!

The key ingredients in this Nam Jim Jaw are fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar, ground toasted rice, fresh lime juice, crushed red pepper, shallot and cilantro.

Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that has been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is widely used as a staple seasoning in East and Southeast Asian cuisine. A little bit goes a long way and a bottle will last you for months. It is a necessity in many Thai dishes. It has that salty umami flavor that nothing can replace, so don’t let anyone tell you to substitute it with soy sauce. No, no and no (shaking my head, followed by face palm).

Next, tamarind paste. It is made from Tamarind, which is fruit. The tamarind tree produces brown, pod-like fruits that contain a sweet, tangy pulp, which is used not only in Thai food, but in cuisines around the world. Some label may say “Tamarind Concentrate”.

Other than this Nam Jim Jaew, you can use both fish sauce and tamarind paste in my other two Thai recipes:  Salmon with Tamarind Sauce and Pad Thai. So, don’t you worry that you’re gonna have to throw the rest away.

The sweetener I use for the sauce is palm sugar. I love it so much since I was a little kid in Bangkok Thailand. I used to break the disks and eat them like candy. Every time my family took a summer trip to the south, we always bought them from the local farmers. They also had the fresh palm sugar drink that is sweet and so refreshing. Palm sugar is made from the sap present in the flower buds of the coconut palm tree. It is known as natural because it involves minimum processing and no chemicals are used.

Let’s cook some food! Or shall I say let’s make some Thai dipping sauce!

First, toast some raw long grain rice (I used Jasmin rice) in a dry plan over medium heat until golden brown. You know when it’s ready when it starts smelling like popcorn.

Then, I used my mortar to grind it (I still have that authentic Thai in me!). If you don’t have a mortar, you can grind it in a spice grinder, which is probably so much easier, too.

The texture you are looking for is a coarse powder. It took me probably 10-15 minutes of a good arm workout with the wooden mortar. It’ll probably be faster if it’s a brick mortar.

Strain tamarind paste using a strainer. Add it to a small sauce pan or pot, medium low heat. Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Cook until the palm sugar is dissolved.

Pour the sauce carefully into a small bowl. Add toasted rice, crushed red pepper, shallot and cilantro.

Mix everything together. That’s it! You got Nam Jim Jaew (Thai Chili Sauce). Serve with any meat, especially with some Thai Grilled Pork. Enjoy!

I really hope you give it a try, the recipe card and comment box are below.

NAM JIM JAEW (THAI CHILI SAUCE)

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Mink

Recipe type: Chili Sauce

Cuisine: Thai

Serves: ½ cup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon raw long grain rice (for toasted rice)
• ¼ cup tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 disk palm sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 3-4 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Toast the rice in a dry plan over medium heat until golden brown and starts smelling like popcorn. Grind using a mortar or a spice grinder until it's a coarse powder.
2. Strain tamarind paste using a strainer. Add it to a small sauce pan or pot, medium low heat. Add fish sauce and palm sugar. Cook until the palm sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour the sauce carefully into a small bowl. Add toasted rice, crushed red pepper, shallot and cilantro.Mix everything together. Serve with any meat, especially with some Thai Grilled Pork. Enjoy!

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