Jeow Ba Dek - Lao Traditional Dipping Sauce

Other versions of this traditional Thai and Lao dipping sauce:
For 'jeow ga be' use shrimp paste instead of salted gourami fish
For 'jeow ga boo' use crab paste instead of salted gourami fish
For 'jeow bee' add 1 tablespoon of gall bladder and mix with any dipping sauces to give the sauce a bitter flavour

Jeow Ba Dek
½ teaspoon chopped lemongrass
½ teaspoon chopped galangal
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
1 chopped kaffer lime leaf
2 tablespoons chopped or minced salted gourami fish (ba dek)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
3 tablespoons lime juice

In a Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set pound lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and lime leaf until smooth. Add minced salted gourami fish and squeezed lime. Mix and serve with sticky rice and jasmine rice

Thai Lao Peanut Dipping Sauce

Please note that the paprika is a common ingredient in the Khao Bune fish curry broth to give the broth a radiant red colour.

Vegetarian Recipe: Curry Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon oil
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onions
1 cup fresh coconut milk
1 kaffir lime leaf
2 sprigs lemongrass
1 tablespoon Thai Lao Curry Paste
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup ground peanuts
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped chilies (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons squeezed lime juice

In a wok over medium heat, add oil, chopped garlic and shallots. Stir until shallots are soft. Add remaining ingredients and stir fry for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat. Discard the lemongrass and lime leaf. Serve sauce with fresh spring rolls or shrimp chips.

Eggplant Chili Dipping Sauce

Vegetarian Recipe: Eggplant Chili Dipping Sauce
5 to 6 Asian green round eggplants
2 cloves garlic with skin
¼ of whole onion or 2 shallots
2 fresh chilies
2 tablespoons fish sauce or 1 tablespoon ba dek
Chopped green onions and cilantro sprigs

If the chilies are small do not roast them in the oven because they’ll burn. Place eggplants, onions and garlic in a roasting pan and broil under high heat for 10 minutes. Flip and broil for another 10 minutes making sure they do not burn. Remove skin of garlic and any burnt areas of the eggplant. Pound garlic, onions, chilies, and eggplant using a Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set until smooth. Add fish sauce or ba dek and mix. Add chopped green onions and cilantro and mix with spoon.

These green Asian eggplants are traditionally in the aw quail stir fry. Serve the eggplant chili dipping sauce with sticky rice or jasmine rice, and lap Lao beef or lap chicken.

Thai Lao Sour Fruit Dipping Sauce

Vegetarian Recipe: Sour Fruit Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon dried chili flakes
2 tablespoons ground toasted sticky rice
1 green mango or green sour apple

Remove mango peel but not apple peel. Slice fruit thinly so that surface is size of a teaspoon. In a small bowl dissolve sugar into fish sauce. Add chili flakes and mix. Add ground toasted sticky rice and mix. Serve sliced sour fruit and Dipping Sauce separately so that individuals can take a slice to dip into sauce.

Thai Lao Red Curry Paste

When purchasing any Thai and Lao curry pastes, make sure the ingredients, that are listed below, are included.

Dipping Sauce Recipe: Thai Lao Curry Paste
1 kaffir lime leaf chopped
1 tablespoon chopped galangal
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon chopped red onions
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1-2 teaspoons chili powder

Place all ingredients in a Thai / Lao Mortar. Using a pestle, pound the ingredients in the mortar until a paste is formed. Store curry paste in the refrigerator or freezer.

Thai & Lao Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce

Vegetarian and Dipping Sauce Recipe: Roasted Tomato Chili Sauce3 chilies
2 garlic cloves with skin
¼ of a whole onion
¼ of whole red pepper
1 tomato
2 sprigs of cilantro
2 sprigs of green onions
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce

Place chilies, garlic with skin, onion, red pepper and tomato in a roasting pan. Broil under high heat for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove chilies and garlic from the pan and flip over the other vegetables. Broil again for another 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow vegetables to cool.

In a Thai / Lao Mortar & Pestle Set, add garlic without the skin, and add chilies. Pound with a pestle until chilies and garlic are smooth. Add onions and pound until smooth. Remove skin from red pepper, cut into pieces, and pound until smooth. Remove skin from tomato, cut into pieces, discard the core, and pound until smooth. Add chopped cilantro and green onions. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix the ingredients until all are incorporated.

Thai Lao Spring Roll Dipping Sauce

Dipping Sauce Recipe: Spring Roll Dipping Sauce1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice vinegar or juice of squeezed lime
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fish sauce
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed chilies

In a sauce pan heat the water and vinegar to dissolve the sugar. Once sugar is dissolved, add garlic, chilies and fish sauce. Once cooled, this sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

Also related are the Toasting Peanuts and Spring Rolls made with Rice Paper videos. The Spring Roll Dipping Sauce recipe is a popular Thai Lao salad dressing.