In Thailand, when you buy Gai Yang (grilled spatchcocked chicken) or Mu Ping (Skewered grilled pork), the vendor almost always gives you two kinds of Nam Jim or dipping sauces to take home along with the grilled protein. One, of course, is the indispensable sweet and tangy chilli sauce; the other is one of the many varieties of the smokier, less sweet dipping sauce, Jaew (แจ่ว).
Though not as well known internationally as its sweeter cousin, Jaew is no less a favorite among Thais. This explains why two kinds of dipping sauces accompany every grilled meat purchase — to eliminate the agony which customers would otherwise have to go through in choosing one or the other.
It’s difficult to pin down the definitive Jaew recipe since every family has their own way of making it. One thing, however, remains constant: just as the sweet chilli sauce is always made of fresh red chillies, Jaew is always made with dried red chillies. Traditionally, the chillies are lightly toasted over open flame and pounded into tiny flakes. Fresh galangal, another traditional ingredient, is prepared the same way. Then, true to its northeastern origin, toasted rice powder is also a required ingredient in many family recipes. The herbs and aromatics then go into a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, and sometimes palm sugar. As you can see, Jaew, for all intents and purposes, is the dressing for Laab (Larb or Lahb) – (ลาบ) even though most people wouldn’t see it that way.
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon galangal powder, optional
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
- Juice of one lime
- 2 teaspoons grated palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon of toasted rice powder (Khao Khua ข้าวคั่ว)
- 1 tablespoon of dried red pepper flakes (coarsely ground).
- Mix everything together in a bowl.
- Adjust the taste with more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar, if necessary. The sauce should be predominantly sour and salty.
I could definitely make do with some of this jaew…your posts are always so – so – so perfect to me.
Mmmm…Had me some grilled meats right now. I love the colors going on in that sauce. It’s like a kelaidascope.
I would be very happy just trying the vast array of sauces coupled with proteins, and starting with Thai dipping sauces seems an obvious choice.
This sauce sounds fantastic for grilled chicken. I still need to look for galangal powder.
can’t wait to make this, perfect for grilled meats!
Leela, this Jaew is also good for me to eat with rice, I am a sauce monster. I eat everything with sauce, including rice. ขอบคุณมาก.
I hate making decisions, so getting two sauces sounds perfect to me! It is funny that sweet chilli has become more popular than the dried chilli one. I wonder if it’s because it stores better.
I want to make this — the only thing stopping me is the near certainty it wouldn’t be as good as your picture looks!
This looks quite savory. I have to give this a try.
That dipping sauce is making my mouth water! As soon as I can eat solid food again, I am grilling some meat and making this sauce!
Yummie…my mouth is watering…I can only imagine the falvor of this sauce…yummie.
So excited to use this for the next barbecue!
Once again you give us a glimpse into something we’ve never seen or heard before. Putting this over a pork dumpling or pork skewers comes to mind. Yum…
Wow, thanks, we needed this for our Santa Barbara Dumplings. We made a sauce but this helps to make it better! Best, s
Hello!
Can the galangal powder be substituted for freshly grated galangal, and if so, how much? Thanks!
impulsively – You can actually leave it out completely. But if you’d like to use fresh galangal, only a teaspoon would do.
Hi! Thanks for letting me know how much fresh galangal to substitute.
I was wondering if you could tell me approximately how much lime juice your one lime yields… we don’t get very good limes here in Canada! Thanks!
Impulsively – Using a citrus press, I usually get about 1/4 cup out of a lime.
Thanks. This sauce was awesome with your pork skewers… I have tons of it left though – don’t want to throw it out (too tasty) but not sure what else I can eat it with? Would appreciate some suggestions, thanks!
impulsively – Any grilled, steamed, or fried meat goes well with this.
Grilled pork neck
Fried sun-dried beef
Grilled chicken
Fried sun-dried fish