Nam chim facts for kids
Nam chim chaeo
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| Type | Dip |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Thailand |
| Region or state | Southeast Asia |
| Created by | Thai people |
Nam chim (pronounced nahm jim) is a Thai word that means "dipping sauce". In Thai cuisine, you'll find many different kinds of nam chim. Most of them mix flavors like salty, sweet, spicy, and sour.
Nam chim sauces are usually more watery than nam phrik, which are thicker Thai chili pastes. Even though Sriracha sauce is often called sot Sriracha in Thailand (sot means "sauce"), some people also call it nam chim Sriracha.
A basic nam chim is often used for grilled or steamed seafood. This simple sauce usually has garlic, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and bird's eye chilies. Many nam chim recipes use these basic ingredients. The ingredients are often chopped very finely or crushed using a mortar and pestle. Sometimes, people use a blender to mix them.
Popular Thai Dipping Sauces
Thailand has many tasty dipping sauces. Here are some popular ones:
- Nam chim kai (sweet chili sauce) is a very common sauce. It's thick like syrup and is medium spicy and very sweet. In English, it's often called "sweet Thai chili sauce." People often use it with grilled chicken (kai yang). It can also be a general chili sauce for many other dishes. This sauce is also the base for other nam chim types, like the one for deep-fried fish cakes.
- Nam chim chaeo is made with ground dry-roasted glutinous rice. This sauce is usually eaten with grilled pork (mu yang or mu ping) or grilled chicken (kai yang).
- Nam chim sate is the Thai version of peanut sauce. It's served with Thai satay, which are grilled skewers of meat.
- Achat is the Thai version of a Malay/Indonesian cucumber pickle. The Thai kind has fresh chopped cucumber, spring onion, and chili mixed with vinegar. It's usually served with nam chim sate as a dip for satay.
- Nam chim suki is eaten with Thai suki (a Thai version of Chinese hot pot) and Mu Kratha (Thai barbecue). Its main ingredients are chili sauce, chili, garlic, and sesame seeds.
- Nam chim taochiao contains yellow soybean paste. People eat this sauce with khao man kai (chicken rice).
- Nam chim thale is a basic dipping sauce for seafood. It's made with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilis. It's usually eaten with grilled or steamed seafood.
- Nam chim thot man is served with thot man pla (fried fish cakes). It's similar to nam chim kai but has chopped cucumber, crushed peanuts, and coriander leaves. For fried prawn or crab cakes, a very sweet plum sauce is usually served instead.
- Nam chim paesa is a special sauce served with steamed fish that is wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves.
See also
In Spanish: Nam chim para niños
