Jeow Mak Pet

The easy sauce to make that full of favor and custom it as you wish to fit with your preference.

Green chili pepper sauce, Jeow mak phet, ແຈ່ວໝາກເຜັດ

Jeow Mak Pet

Jeow means sauce, and dipping sauce has many versions to make it. Mak Pet means chili or chili pepper. Jeow is usually made from grilling the ingredients until having richly fragrant, smoky from the coal, and soft before adding to the mortar. Pounding all ingredients to have that mushy texture and easy to dip. Adding savory with Padeak (fermented fish sauce) and extra hot spicy with chilies. Jeow mak pet also be part of the traditional day and Buddhist day. For example, Boun Hor Khaopadapdin, the day that feed the spirit, Jeow mak pet is wrapped in banana leaf with sticky rice and grill meat then put in the lotus leaf to feed and showed respect to the spirits with homemade food. Jeow Mak pet can be the main dish, side dish, and condiment. Eating Jeow usually with sticky rice is the best it has a distinctive flavor than with usual rice and can eat non stopping.

Where to buy: fresh market, and food market.

Ingredient

6 Red onion

2 head of garlic

18 roasted green chili peppers

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

25g Fermented fish sauce

35g Fish sauce

2 or more Chillies (optional)

Equipment

Charcoal stove

Gas burner or inductions

Bamboo skewers

Mortar and pestle

Directions

Roasting the ingredient

To have a delightful scent from roasted chili pepper. It needs to be roasted over the coal until it becomes slightly burned, soft, and mushy. I do this by fastening the chili peppers and red onions with bamboo skewers then put over on the hot grill. (if you don’t know how to light the coal, the link is here). Turn it over regularly to get the nice light brown burn and thoroughly cook. At this point, it is ready to be prepared for the Jeow mak pet (chili peppers sauce).

Another way is to roast over the gas burner or by induction. Preparing roasted chili peppers this way is easy and convenient for those who don’t have a charcoal grill. Instead of grilling over the grill, place directly on the gas burner and let it burn until it is thoroughly cooked and has a soft texture. Ensure you have moved and turned it over to make each side well cooked. The downside of this method did not give the scent of coal and took a lot of time to cook each skewer. It may not burn on every part of the chili pepper and may burn the bamboo skewer.

Making the Jeow

1. Remove the skewer and peel off the onions and garlic skin. (Make sure it has been chill to help peel off the skin). Peel off the burned part of the chili peppers to avoid the bitterness when preparing the Jeow and cut it into small pieces, do not cut into a fine chunk to make it pound easier.

2. Add garlic, onions, salt, and sugar into the mortar and pound until it breaks down and is well combined.

3. Add the roasted chili pepper and pound for about 30 - 40 seconds, do not need to make it crushingly, but if you want to, you could do it. Now, add Padeak (fermented fish sauce) and fish sauce to combine with other ingredients in the mortar. Stir by using the pestle.

4. Transfer the Jeow to the small bowl or small plate and garnish with a piece of coriander. Serve with sticky rice and any other Lao dish.

5. (Optional). If you want to make Jeow that is hot and spicy with some saltiness, add chilies at the same time as garlic and onion (step 2).

6. You have already done all the four-step above. Then, transfer the sauce into the bowl and pound the chilies in the mortar. Add all the sauce into the mortar again and mix it until it is well combined. Garnish with a piece of coriander. Serve with sticky rice and any other Lao dish.

Enjoy!

Storage

Transfer into a small container that fits the sauce and keep it in the fridge. It can last for one week to a week and a half. Ensure to check the smell and taste when it has passed more than a week. If it still has the same taste, then it can be eaten.

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