It took me a few tries to figure out what Jeow means.
Turns out Jeow is a lot of things, but mainly any sort of dipping sauce, typically made with char-grilled veggies. Sometimes spicy. Sometimes not.
Always delicious.
It could be vegetarian or it could be made with crushed beetles. Or anything in between.
I’ll skip to the chase: my version is beetle free.
Phew.
And it’s also really easy.
Recipe for a Simple Jeow
3 tomatoes
3 Thai bird chilies
1 head garlic
pinch of cilantro
And, if you’re not vegan, add several shakes of fish sauce.
Method:
Roast tomatoes, chilies, and garlic over a campfire, on a grill, in a comal (flat pan available at Latino markets) over medium heat or in the oven until blackened and soft. Be sure to continually turn the garlic so it cooks evenly.
Peel and puree wit cilantro, fish sauce and salt.
That’s it! Enjoy…
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Yum! Laotian salsa.
Mmm, exactly! And so good
Your recipe looks great. So glad it didn’t call for beetles!
Ha! I’m not even sure where I would get ‘em
I guess the beetles add lotsa healthy nutrition, but thanks, will try the vegetarian version first.
If you ever decide to try the beetlejuice beetlejuice beetlejuice variety, I’d love to hear how it came out!
Noted
Hmong people, many of whom live in Laos, have a similar sauce, called kua txob. I once tried it in Tulsa (it is the only genuine Hmong dish served at Hmong Cafe) and it was so good I ate it plain and so hot it made me sick. http://hmongcooking.blogspot.com/2009/03/kua-txob.html
This is great – I was looking to try another variation. I like the sounds of this one (perhaps a little more mild, however).