1 bowl · Easy · 30 min · ₭ Cheap

I eat this dip all year long, but I thought it looked perfect for the holidays as it is red and green. Jeow mak len goes so well with steaming hot sticky rice. This dip is truly unique because of the funky padaek. What other Lao dips do you enjoy?

Credit FB Saeng Douangdara, YT Lao Food at Saeng’s Kitchen

Video

Ingredients

• 25 cherry tomatoes
• 2 Asian red shallots, large
• 10 cloves of fresh garlic, i.e. 1 head
• 15 bird's-eye chili
• 1 pinch of MSG
• 1 tablespoon of Lao fermented fish sauce (padek)
• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1 handful of coriander, diced

Preparation

1. Rinse the cherry tomatoes under clear water to make sure they are very clean. Peel the shallots, cut them in half or quarters. Separate the 10 cloves from the garlic head but keep the skin on the cloves.

2. Put the cherry tomatoes, diced shallots, the peeled garlic and the bird's eye chilis into a tray. Put in the air frier at 200°C (400F) for about 20 minutes.

3. Take your mortar and pestle. Smash the peeled garlic (you can easily remove the skin after cooking them) and chili first. Then add the shallots and smash them together into a paste. Lastly add the tomatoes and smash gently.

4. Add MSG, padek, fish sauce, season to taste and mix well. Finally add a handful of cilantro and mix gently, serve in a bowl and spinkle with some cilantro for the decoration. Eat with sticky rice!