Sometimes I get cravings for sour mangoes dipped in a spicy and sweet sauce. This sauce for sour mangoes can also be used for other sour fruits such as grapes and plums.
This sauce (jeow) also contains toasted rice powder which makes it thick and adds texture. Toasted rice powder is just glutinous rice that is toasted in a fry pan over low-medium heat. Toast it until it is fragrant and almost black. Be sure to do this outside as the aroma is quite strong. Then ground it up in a coffee grinder. Store it in the freezer and it lasts a very long time.
Lao people jokingly say that a women is pregnant if she craves sour mangoes and this dipping sauce. But I can tell you for sure that you don’t need to be pregnant to crave this spicy and tasty snack. There mere sight of the picture can make anyone salivate.
I always include chopped shallots in my sauce, but this is optional. I think it adds texture and flavor. Also, if you don’t have fresh chilies you can just use chili flakes, ground chilies or vice versa. Some people like to add padaek which is the lao term for fermented fish sauce. This is optional.
For the sour mangoes, make sure you get the really hard ones so that it’s crispy when you slice it. Sometimes if they’ve been sitting out a while at the store it will look green but it may be already ripe on the inside.
So if you’ve ever seen sour mangoes in Asian supermarkets, this is how we eat it. Enjoy!
Spicy and sweet sauce with toasted rice powder. This sauce is perfect for sour fruits such as unripe mangoes, grapes and plums.
- 4 T sugar
- 2 tsp toasted rice powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 4 T fish sauce
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 thai chili finely chopped
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finely chop shallots and chilies
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Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
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Serve with sour mangoes, grapes or plums.