Nam chim


Nam chim or nam jim is Thai for "dipping sauce". It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in Thai cuisine, with many of them a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour.
Nam chim tend to be more watery in consistency than nam phrik. Although Sriracha sauce is commonly known as sot Sriracha in Thailand, it is sometimes called nam chim Sriracha or nam phrik Sriracha.
A more-or-less generic and basic nam chim is used for grilled or steamed seafood. This sauce contains garlic, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and bird's eye chilies. Variations on this basic recipe find their use as a dipping sauce with and as an integral part of many dishes. Many of the ingredients in a nam chim are finely chopped or pounded in a mortar and pestle or, non-traditionally, ground in a blender.

History

The history of nam chim can be traced back to the Ayutthaya period of Thailand's history. French diplomat Simon de la Loubère, who visited Siam during the mid-Ayutthaya period, described the use of plain sauces with spices, garlic, chibols, or sweet herbs, as well as a fermented shrimp paste called kapi, which was commonly used to enhance the flavor of dishes. Many types of nam chim used in different dishes are mentioned in various cookbooks, including Mae Khrua Hua Pa by Lady Plean Phatsakorawong, and "Nang Suea Kap Khao Son Luklan Kap Pholmai Khong Wang Lae Khanom" by Mrs. Kleep Mahitorn. These early dipping sauces evolved over time, with various regional variations and styles emerging, resulting in countless unique blends of flavors and ingredients found in today's nam chim.

Variants

Popular dipping sauces in Thailand are:
  • Nam chim kai, sweet chili sauce, is a very common all-around chili dipping sauce with the consistency of a thick syrup. It is medium-spicy and very sweet, normally referred to as "sweet Thai chili sauce" in English. It is often used as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. It can be used as a generic chili sauce for other dishes. It forms the base of a few other types of nam chim, such as nam chim thot man pla.
  • Nam chim chaeo, using ground dry-roasted glutinous rice, is most often eaten with mu yang or kai yang.
  • Nam chim sate is the Thai version of peanut sauce; it is eaten with Thai satay.
  • Achat is the Thai version of the Malay/Indonesian acar timun. The Thai variety consists of fresh chopped cucumber, spring onion and chili, mixed with vinegar. It is usually served with nam chim sate as a dip for satay.
  • Nam chim suki is eaten with Thai suki and mu kratha. The main ingredients are chili sauce, chili, garlic and sesame seeds.
  • Nam chim taochiao, containing yellow soybean paste, is eaten with khao man kai.
  • Nam chim thale, a basic dipping sauce made with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilis, is usually eaten with grilled or steamed seafood.
  • Nam chim thot man , served as a dip with thot man pla, is similar to nam chim kai but with chopped cucumber, crushed peanut and coriander leaves. For thot man kung or pu, however, a very sweet plum sauce is provided.
  • Nam chim paesa is served as a sauce for steamed fish wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves.