Thai Chili Sauce (Nam Jim Jaew)
This Thai Chili Sauce - Nam Jim Jaew - is full of flavor and smoky delicious. It makes the best Thai chili sauce for grilled meat and salad. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Servings: 12 tbsp
Ingredients
Jaew Sauce (Thai chili dipping sauce)
- 0.5 oz. shallots finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 to 1 ½ whole lime juice
- 1 to 1 ½ tbsp fish sauce
- ½ to 1 tsp monk fruit brown sugar sweetener alt. 2-3 tbsp apple juice for Whole30
- 1 to 1 ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp toasted “sticky rice” powder see below
Thai toasted “sticky rice” powder (grain-free, gluten-free version):
- ⅓ cup raw cashew
- ¼ cup hemp seed hearts
Instructions
- Finely chop the shallot and cilantro. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine ingredients from shallot to red pepper flakes. Give them a quick stir and mix. Allow the sauce flavor to develop at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, dry roast the cashew and hemp hearts in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Stir and toss often to prevent them from burning.
- You will know when they are done. You should smell nutty toasted flavor and the nuts and seeds are in light golden brown.
- Grind the nuts and seeds in a small food processor or pound them in a pestle and mortar until they are coarsely grind.
- Sprinkle 1 tbsp toasted "rice powder" over the sauce right before serving. Use and serve immediately for grilled meats (chicken, beef, or pork).
Video
Notes
About the sauce and the recipe quantity:
- Jaew dipping sauce is a very popular dipping sauce in Thailand, especially for grilled steak, chicken, or pork. It’s a thin, liquid based dipping sauce.
- The predominant flavor of this sauce should be sour and salty.
- Please note that the measurements are meant to be a guide as quite often, there are no exact measurements in Thai seasonings/ dipping sauce. This is because they are tailored to individual tastes and preferences. Use the recipe as a guide. Add more lime juice to bring out more acidity or more fish sauce to make it saltier.
- If you are on keto (i.e. if you use monk fruit sweetener), you’ll need more liquid for this sauce. Use 1.5 whole lime juice and 1.5 tbsp fish sauce. If still feels not enough liquid, add 1 tbsp water then taste and adjust the seasonings again.
- Store the sauce and the rice powder separately in the fridge. Finish the sauce in 4-5 days. The “rice powder” remains longer in the fridge as long as they aren’t exposed to moisture. You can sprinkle “rice powder” over salads or use them as any crunchy toppings.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 7kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg