Laos Dipping Sauce for Sticky Rice (Jeow Mak Phet)

Jeow Mak Phet is a spicy, delicious, authentic Laos dipping sauce for sticky rice made from grilled chiles, garlic, and coriander.

The traditional way to eat Jeow Mak Phet in Laos is to use balls of sticky rice as a utensil to dip the sauce. My husband loved this so much he actually ate it plain. 

This is a super simple recipe that you could use alongside rice, meat, or as a dip for breads or vegetables. It's also very versatile and forgiving. For instance, I used almost an entire head of garlic in mine.

Questions About Making Jeow Mak Phet

Do I need a mortar and pestle to make Jeow Mak Phet?

The recipe calls for a mortar and pestle, which I used at first. However, a mini or regular sized food processor is quicker and easier.  

Is there an easy way to peel the blackened chiles?

Yes! After you grill the chiles, place them in a plastic baggie. After about 10 minutes, the skin will start pulling away from the flesh, making it much easier to peel.

I'm looking for a Laos dipping sauce I've eaten before, but it doesn't look like this.

You may be looking for the more popular Jeow Mak Len. This is a tomato based dipping sauce. "Jeow" simply means dip or sauce in Laos, so there are dozens (probably hundreds!) of types of Jeow. 

What's the biggest mistake people make when making Jeow Mak Phet & Sticky Rice?

Using regular rice. You definitely need sticky rice for this!

About Alicia Akins and Laos Dipping Sauce for Sticky Rice (Jeow Mak Phet)

Alicia Akins is the author of Invitations to Abundance and my guest for Ep. 124 What Makes You Feel Rich? A Conversation with Alicia Akins. Invitations to Abundance is a book examining the imagery of feasts in the Bible. Alicia says she wrote this book for anyone who has ever been disillusioned and her book makes the case that God is inviting everyone to experience peace and rest in God’s presence. Alicia argues from both the imagery in these feasts, as well as her own life, that God offers His presence especially during times of hardship, grief, or when the path forward seems dim or obscured. Alicia also explains what it might look like to accept God’s invitation and how rich she felt when she finally did. 

Alicia spent 5 years in Asia, including a long stay in Laos, which informed her writing of this book and made her fall in love with Jeow Mak Phet!  

 

What Jeow Mak Phet Means to Alicia

Even though Jeow Mak Phet is more of a condiment than a food,  Jeow was my favorite thing to eat [in Laos]. So before I moved back to the States, my coworkers got me a cookbook that had just jeow in it. Also, one of the best compliments that I received while living there is that I ate sticky rice like a Lao person. Sticky rice is grabbed from its container (Thip khao) and squeezed into a ball shape in the palm of the hand before being used as to dip into side dishes like jeow or paired with bite sized pieces of the main dish.

Listen to "What Makes You Feel Rich?" with Alicia Akins:

Alicia shares all her tips and tricks for making Jeow Man Phet in this episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast: Alicia Akins - Author of Invitations to Abundance.

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