''Nam chim'' or ''nam jim'' ( th, น้ำจิ้ม, ) is Thai for "

dipping sauce A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, pot ...

". It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in

Lao cuisine Lao cuisine or Laotian cuisine ( lo, ອາຫານລາວ) is the national cuisine of Laos. The staple food of the Lao is sticky rice ( lo, ເຂົ້າໜຽວ, khao niao). Laos has the highest sticky rice consumption per-capita in ...

and

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

, with many of them a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour. ''Nam chim'' tend to be more watery in consistency than ''

nam phrik ''Nam phrik'' ( th, น้ำพริก, ) is a type of Thai spicy chili sauce typical of Thai cuisine. Usual ingredients for ''nam phrik'' type sauces are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, lime juice and often some kind of fish ...

'' (Thai chili pastes). Although Sriracha sauce is commonly known as ''sot Sriracha'' in Thailand (''sot'' is the Thai pronunciation of the English word ''sauce''), it is sometimes called ''nam chim Sriracha'' or ''nam phrik Sriracha''. A more-or-less generic and basic ''nam chim'' is used for grilled or steamed seafood. This sauce contains garlic,

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

, lime juice, and

bird's eye chili Bird's eye chili or Thai chili (Thai: ''prik ki nu'', พริกขี้หนู, literally "mouse dung chili" owing to its shape) is a chili pepper, a variety from the species ''Capsicum annuum'' native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southea ...

es. Variations on this basic recipe find their use as a dipping sauce with and as an integral part of many dishes. Many of the ingredients in a ''nam chim'' are finely chopped or pounded in a

mortar and pestle Mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used from the Stone Age to the present day to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. The ''mortar'' ( ...

or, non-traditionally, ground in a

blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

Variants

Popular dipping sauces in Thailand are: * ''Nam chim kai'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มไก่), sweet chili sauce is a very common all-round chili dipping sauce with the consistency of a thick syrup. It is medium

spicy Pungency () refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy () is sometimes applied to foods with a l ...

and very sweet, normally referred to as "sweet Thai chili sauce" in English. It is often used as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken (

kai yang Kai yang or gai yang ( th, ไก่ย่าง, , literally meaning "grilled chicken"), also known as kai ping or gai ping ( th, ไก่ปิ้ง), or pīng kai ( lo, ປີ້ງໄກ່, ), is a dish originating from the Lao people of ...

). It can be used as a generic chili sauce for other dishes. It forms the base of a few other types of ''nam chim'', such as ''nam chim thot man pla'' ("dipping sauce for deep-fried fish cakes"). * ''Nam chim chaeo'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว), using ground dry-roasted

glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...

, this sauce is most often eaten with ''mu yang/mu ping'' (grilled pork) or ''

'' (grilled chicken). * ''Nam chim sate'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มสะเต๊ะ) is the Thai version of

peanut sauce Peanut sauce, satay sauce (saté sauce), ''bumbu kacang'', ''sambal kacang'', or ''pecel '' is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout the world. Peanut ...

; it is eaten with Thai

satay Satay ( , in USA also , ), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. The earliest preparations of satay is believed to have originated in Javanese cuisine, but ...

. * ''Achat'' ( th, อาจาด) is the Thai version of the Malay/Indonesian ''

acar Acar is a type of vegetable pickle of Maritime Southeast Asia, most prevalent in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is a localised version of Indian '' achar''. It is known as atjar in Dutch cuisine, derived from Indonesian ''acar ...

timun'' (cucumber pickles). The Thai variety consists of fresh chopped cucumber, spring onion and chili, mixed with vinegar. It is usually served with ''nam chim sate'' as a dip for satay. * ''Nam chim suki'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มสุกี้) is eaten with Thai '' suki'' (the Thai version of the Chinese

hot pot Hot pot or hotpot (), also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a cooking method that originated in China. A heat source on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering, and a variety of Chinese foodstuffs and ingredients are served b ...

) and Mu kratha. The main ingredients are chili sauce, chili, garlic and sesame seeds. * ''Nam chim taochiao'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มเต้าเจี้ยว), containing

yellow soybean paste Yellow soybean paste is a fermented paste made from yellow soybeans, salt, and water. Yellow soybean paste is produced in China and is used primarily in Beijing cuisine and other cuisines of northern China. Etymology In Chinese, the full na ...

(''taochiao''), is eaten with ''

khao man kai Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chi ...

'' * ''Nam chim thale'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มทะเล) — a basic dipping sauce made with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilis — is usually eaten with grilled or steamed seafood. * ''Nam chim thot man'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มทอดมัน), served as a dip with ''thot man pla'' (fried fish cakes), is similar to ''nam chim kai'' but with chopped cucumber, crushed peanut and coriander (cilantro) leaves. For ''thot man kung or pu'' (fried prawn or crab cakes), however, a very sweet plum sauce is provided. * ''Nam chim paesa'' ( th, น้ำจิ้มแป๊ะซะ) is served as a sauce for steamed fish wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves.

References

{{portal bar, Food Thai cuisine Sauces Dips (food)

Variants

See also

References