Thai Nam Jim Jaew (Smoky Roasted Chili Dipping Sauce)
A bold, tangy, salty-sweet Thai dipping sauce built on fish sauce, lime, palm sugar and nutty toasted rice powder, with a gentle smoky heat. It is the classic partner for grilled meats, especially steak and pork neck.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 36 min
- Makes
- About ¾ cup (180 ml) sauce, serving 6
Steps
Before you start
- If you don't have toasted rice powder, you'll toast the rice yourself in step 1. It takes about 6 minutes.
- Squeeze the limes just before using. Bottled juice tastes flat and bitter here.
- Soften hard palm sugar by chopping or shaving it fine so it dissolves easily. Soft disc or paste palm sugar can be used as is.
- Thai chili flakes vary a lot in heat. Start with the lower amount and add more at the end.
Toast the rice
- Place the sticky rice in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir constantly for 5 to 6 minutes, until the grains turn deep golden brown and smell nutty and toasty.
- Skip this step if using ready-made toasted rice powder.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Grains are evenly deep golden brown and smell nutty, with a few darker flecks.
Tip: Keep stirring. The rice burns quickly at the end and burnt rice makes the sauce bitter.
Cool and grind
- Tip the rice onto a plate and cool for 5 minutes.
- Grind in a spice grinder or mortar to a coarse, sandy powder with some tiny bits still visible.
- Measure 1 tablespoon (8 g) of powder and save any extra.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Texture is like coarse sand, not a fine flour.
Tip: Pulse the grinder in short bursts so it doesn't turn to paste from the rice's oils.
Dissolve the sugar
- In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, palm sugar and warm water.
- Stir with a small spoon for about 1 minute, pressing the sugar against the bowl, until no gritty bits remain.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The liquid is clear amber with no sugar granules at the bottom.
Tip: Dissolve the sugar before adding lime, since sugar dissolves more slowly in acidic liquid.
Add lime and chili
- Stir in the lime juice and chili flakes.
- The chili flakes will float on top at first.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The sauce is evenly mixed and smells sharply of lime.
Add the aromatics
- Stir in the sliced shallot, chopped cilantro, and the green onion and mint if using.
- Mix gently so the herbs stay bright and don't bruise.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The herbs and shallot are evenly distributed through the liquid.
Rest and soften
- Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes so the chili flakes rehydrate and the shallot mellows in the lime and fish sauce.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The chili flakes have sunk and darkened slightly and the shallot looks softened.
Stir in rice powder
- Just before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon (8 g) of the toasted rice powder.
- Taste: it should be salty first, then sour, with a light sweetness and a slow smoky heat.
- Add a pinch more chili for heat, a few drops of lime for sourness, or a little more sugar to round it out.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The sauce is slightly thickened and pourable, with a balanced salty, sour, sweet and spicy taste.
Tip: Add the rice powder last. It absorbs liquid and goes soggy if it sits for hours.
Good to know
Tips
- Serve at room temperature alongside grilled steak, pork neck, chicken wings, or grilled fish, or with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
- Fish sauce brands vary in saltiness. If yours is very salty, reduce it to 2½ tablespoons and add a splash more water.
- Coarse chili flakes give a better texture and a smokier flavor than fine chili powder, which can make the sauce muddy and too hot.
- For a smokier sauce, dry-toast the chili flakes in the skillet for 30 seconds over low heat before adding.
Make ahead
"Mix everything except the toasted rice powder and herbs up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate in a covered jar. Add the rice powder and herbs shortly before serving. The toasted rice powder can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and stored airtight."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours while serving. Refrigerator: up to 3 days in an airtight jar (the herbs will darken and the rice powder will soften). Freezer: not recommended. Stir well and taste before serving, adding a pinch of fresh rice powder if the sauce has thinned."
Substitutions
- palm sugar → light brown sugar. Use the same weight. The flavor is slightly less caramel-like but works well.
- fresh lime juice → fresh lemon juice with a splash of tamarind paste. Use 3 tbsp lemon juice plus ½ tsp tamarind for a rounder sourness. Lime is still best.
- fish sauce → light soy sauce. Use the same amount for a vegetarian-friendly version, but the flavor will be less funky and complex.
- uncooked glutinous (sticky) rice → jasmine rice. Toast it the same way. The powder will be slightly less nutty and less sticky but still works.