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Jeow som
Sweet-sour chilli sauce
Jeow som (ແຈ່ວສົ້ມ): thin sour-sweet chilli sauce with lime and garlic
Grilled food in Laos rarely leaves the stall without a little bag of jeow som, the thin, sour-sweet sauce that every street grill from Vientiane's riverside to small-town bus stations ladles out beside the skewers. Unlike the pounded jeows, it is pourable: lime juice, garlic and raw chilli in a light, sweet-salty syrup, sharp enough to cut through anything charred. Dip grilled tofu, corn, aubergine or sticky rice into it, or spoon it over a plate of steamed vegetables. Stall versions lean on fish sauce; salt and tamari keep this one vegetarian. Tipping granulated sugar straight into cold lime juice is the usual fault, since it never fully dissolves and the sauce tastes gritty and unbalanced. Chef's tip: let the sauce sit for 15 minutes before serving so the garlic and chilli mellow into the lime.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 4 tbsp lime juicefrom about 3 limes
- 1 tsp tamarior light soy sauce, which contains wheat, if you don't need it gluten free
To finish
- 1 tbsp fresh corianderfinely chopped
- ½ tsp toasted dried chilli flakes (optional)
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: Pound 4 garlic cloves and 4 fresh red bird's eye chillies in a mortar to a rough paste, or chop them very finely. Leave some small pieces of chilli for colour.
Step 3: Stir the garlic and chilli into the cooled syrup with 4 tbsp lime juice and 1 tsp tamari. Taste: it should be sour first, then sweet, then salty, with heat at the end. Add more lime or sugar to balance.
Step 4: Stir in 1 tbsp fresh coriander and ½ tsp toasted dried chilli flakes and leave for 15 minutes before serving. It keeps in a jar in the fridge for 3 days, though the herbs dull.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 30 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jeow som take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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