Jeow Het | Lao Mushroom Dipping Sauce
This is a spicy mushroom dip that will level up all your meals, and it's called jeow het. Its natural umami flavors come from roasting the mushrooms and aromatics, then seasoning them with unfiltered fish sauce. It’s a rustic Lao dip you need to add to all your summer BBQs—every scoop is bursting with umamilicious flavor.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb white button mushrooms
- 4 medium shallots (about 7 oz)
- 10 bird's eye chili peppers
- 15 garlic cloves
- 8 green onions (white part only)
- 1 tbsp padaek
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ cup green onion (green part), finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Ten (10-inch) bamboo skewers
Instructions
- 1
Prep the skewers: Thread the mushrooms, shallots, garlic cloves, bird's eye chilies, and the white parts of the green onions onto the bamboo skewers.
- 2
Roast the vegetables:Place the skewers on a baking sheet and roast at 425°F (220°C) for about 30 minutes, or until everything is softened and nicely caramelized.
- 3
Pound into a paste: Using a mortar and pestle, pound the roasted shallots, green onion whites, garlic, and chilies into a coarse paste. Then add the mushrooms and lightly smash them in — the texture should remain chunky and rustic.
- 4
Season the dip: Mix in the chopped green onion tops and cilantro. Season with padaek, fish sauce, and a pinch of salt to taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- 5
Serve: Enjoy with warm sticky rice or fresh vegetables.