Thai cooking is famous not just for the amazing curries but also their grilled meats, seafood and sauces. Nam jim jaew is the most popular Thai dipping sauce for grilled meats like steak, pork and chicken. This is how you make it. It’s really easy too.

What is nam jim jaew?
Nam jim jaew is a Thai dipping sauce that originates from northeastern Thailand. It’s a tangy, savoury, and slightly sweet sauce with a smoky touch from toasted rice powder.
It has a delicious flavour which is a balance of salty (fish sauce), sour (lime and tamarind), sweet (palm or white sugar) and spicy (chilli flakes).
Nam jim jaew is traditionally paired with grilled meats such as gai yang, Thai pork skewers and weeping tiger steak. The sauce has a thick, grainy texture from the toasted rice powder (Khao Khua) which is popular in many Thai dishes.
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What is khao Khua?
This is a toasted glutinous rice (sticky rice) powder. You can make it by first grinding sticky rice to a fine powder and then toasting it in a pan over a medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
You can also simply toast the rice whole and then grind it. Khao khua adds a delicious smoky flavour to the nam jim jaew.
It is easy to prepare and you can also purchase it at many Asian grocers and online.

Ingredients
Get all your ingredients prepared before starting. It's easier that way.
- Thai fish sauce
- Tamarind water
- palm sugar or white sugar
- dried chilli flakes
- roasted rice powder (Khao Khua)
- lime juice
- shallots
- coriander stems
- spring onions
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here you have it... step by step instructions on how to make jim jam jaew. It's really easy and you will love it with any Thai grilled meats.

- Step 1: Grind some glutinous rice and place it in a pan over a medium heat. You can make as little or as much as you like. This recipe only calls for a tablespoon.

- Step 2: Toast the ground rice until it turns a nice golden brown. You can store any rice powder you don't use in an air-tight container for about 6 months.

- Step 3: Place all the aromatics in a bowl.

- Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.

- Step 5: That's it. Try some and see if you want to adjust any of the sweet, sour, savoury or spicy flavours.

- Step 6: You can store your jim jam jaew for a couple of days in the fridge so this is a good one to get ticked off for that Thai barbecue.
Variations
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe
- Spicy - If you prefer your jim jam jaew to be spicy, just add more chilli flakes to the recipe.
- Aromatics - The aromatics can also be very finely chopped. I like mine a bit chunky.
- Flavour Adjustments - Jim jam jaew is the perfect mix of sweet, sour, spicy and savoury. You get the savoury flavour from the fish sauce. The sweet flavour comes from the sugar. You get a nice spicy kick from the chilli flakes and it is all rounded off with sourness from the lime juice and tamarind. You can and should adjust the flavours to taste.
Equipment
Mixing bowl: A small mixing bowl will come in handy. If you like, you could serve your nam jim jaew in the same bowl.
A frying pan: If you are making your own toasted rice, you will need a good pan to do it in. You can also purchase Thai toasted rice powder
Storage
You can store your nam jim jaew, covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Give it another good stir before serving.
If you want to freeze it for later, you can do that too. You will lose some of the crunchness of the aromatics so I don't recommend freezing unless you absolutely have to.
Top Tip
After stirring the ingredients together, let it stand for about 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
FAQ
The essential ingredients include fish sauce, lime juice, tamarind paste, palm sugar, toasted rice powder (khao khua), dried chilli flakes, and chopped shallots or green onions. Some variations may also include garlic and fresh herbs like coriander (cilantro).
Thai grilled meats! If you are having a Thai style barbecue and really want to impress, be sure to have some of this sauce on the table.
I have tried nam jim jaew that was fiery hot! This recipe is a bit inbetween. If you prefer a spicy sauce, just add more chilli flakes or add less if you aren't keen on spicy sauces.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Thai Nam Jim Jaew

This nam Jim jaew sauce is a great one to have in your Thai recipe library. It is amazing served with grilled meats like beef, lamb and chicken.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 4 tbsp. Tamarind water
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or white sugar
- 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp roasted rice powder – Recipe below in method
- 1 ½ tbsp. lime juice
- 2 shallots
- 2 tbsp coriander stems – finely chopped
- 2 spring onions – cut into thin rings
Instructions
- This one couldn't be easier! Simply place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. I have photographed each step of this process but you really can wing it!
- It is important to taste as you go so that you get the perfect blend of sweet, sour and spicy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 724mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
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