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Jeow mak len
Jaew mak len: smoky Lao roasted tomato and chilli dip for sticky rice
No Lao meal is complete without a jeow, a pounded dip eaten by pinching a ball of sticky rice and dragging it through. Jeow mak len, made from tomatoes charred over the coals until their skins split, is the everyday one from Vientiane to the villages of the north, smoky, garlicky and as hot as you dare. It's served alongside grilled vegetables, raw cucumber and long beans, and keeps well for a few days. Chef's tip: grill everything until it is genuinely blackened in patches; the burnt bits are the flavour, so don't peel all the skin away.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Grill 14 oz ripe tomatoes, 6 fresh green or red bird's eye chillies, 3 shallots and 5 cloves garlic on a barbecue, in a dry cast-iron pan over a medium-high heat or under a very hot grill, turning, until the skins are blistered and charred in patches and the tomatoes are soft and slumped. The chillies and garlic take about 5 minutes; the tomatoes and shallots 12–15.
15 minStep 2: Let everything cool for a few minutes, then peel the garlic and shallots and pull off any loose, fully black tomato skin, leaving some charred bits. Cut off the chilli stems.
Step 3: Pound the chillies, garlic, shallots and ½ tsp salt in a mortar to a coarse paste. Common mistake: using a blender; it whips the tomatoes into a thin, pink sauce. Pounding keeps it chunky and smoky.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes and pound gently, turning the mixture with a spoon, until broken down into a thick, rough salsa.
Step 5: Stir in 1 tbsp tamari and 1 tbsp lime juice, taste and adjust, then fold in 1 small handful coriander leaves and 1 spring onion. Serve at room temperature with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 45 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jeow mak len take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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