Did you know that “Nam Jim” is a generic name that is used as a blanket term for pretty much ALL of Thailand’s dipping sauces? And you’ll see this name used on all of the dipping sauces in restaurants and street food stalls, even though the ingredients between certain kinds can vary greatly.
However, the flavour among all of them resonates in between notes of spicy, sour and sweet. I personally always serve my nam jim alongside whatever Thai snacks and general meals that I make everyday.
But how many kinds of nam jim are there?
After perusing through my mum’s cookbook and some internet sleuthing, I’ve found there to be over 10 varieties of Thai dipping sauce regularly available out on “the streets.” Each one paired with a specific dish.
Let’s take a look at some famous dishes (and sauces) that Thai’s eat regularly…
“Nam Jim Seafood” or seafood dipping sauce goes well with, well…seafood of course! It is a spicy and sour tasting sauce with a refreshing aroma consisting of fresh herbs like coriander.
“Nam Jim Gai” or sweet chili sauce is another dip served best with grilled and/or deep fried chicken. Sweet and sticky with a hint of chilli…nothing beats it! You can get this sauce in bottles at all supermarkets, however, some brands make ‘em sweeter than others.
“Nam Jim Jaew” dipping sauce compliments grilled pork or beef as well as sticky rice (sooo delicious!)
“Nam Jim Luke Chin or meatball dipping sauce is another one with a combination of sweet and sour flavours. Meaning when you order any type of meatballs anywhere…be sure to ask for the sauce as well!
“Nam Jim Sate or Thai peanut sauce is one you’ve probably seen before and is usually served alongside Thai grilled pork/chicken satay.
“Nam Jim Tua Tad” or peanut praline dipping sauce is made from traditional praline. This sauce is similar to seafood dipping sauce BUT has a creamy and crunchy texture thanks to the peanut praline.
“Nam Jim Buai” or sweet plum sauce is served with prawn cakes, crab cakes, “Tung Tong” or “Thai money bag” etc.
“Nam Jim Poh Pia” or spring roll dipping sauce is similar to sweet plum sauce without any actual sweet plum. This one also usually contains fresh chillies and coarse ground peanuts to the sweet and sour base sauce.
“Nam Jim Suki” or Sukiyaki dipping sauce is served with Thai sukiyaki (the Thai version of Chinese hot pot.) This one is salty and creamy and is made from preserved tofu and spicy chopped chillies.
“Nam Jim Sriracha” or Sriracha sauce is one you’ll DEFINETLY have heard of. This sauce truly goes with everything, including crispy omelette!
“Nam Jim Tao Jiew” is made from fermented soybean and goes very well with grilled/steamed fish as well as fish rice porridge (“Kao Tom Pla”.)
“It’s clear that us Thai’s are OBSESSED with these dipping sauces and now you can even get most of these iterations in supermarket bottles. However, they are usually too sweet to my liking.
BUT they are easy to make at home and some of these recipes are available to make in my cookbook! If you would like to know of a particular recipe of Thai dipping sauce then let me know and I’ll happily share it with you.