🥔 SIDE
Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip)
Tomatoes, shallots, garlic and chillies charred until blistered, then pounded in a mortar with fish sauce and coriander into a smoky, chunky dip for sticky rice.
Lao · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 20 min
~267 cal · 7g protein · 57g carbs · 1g fat · 3g fiber · 6g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Jeow are the dips and relishes that sit beside nearly every Lao meal, and jeow mak len, made with tomato, is one of the most common. A basket of sticky rice is on the table, and each person pulls off a small ball of rice with their fingers and dips it into the jeow, along with grilled meat, fish or raw and steamed vegetables.
Everything in it is roasted first. Tomatoes, shallots, garlic and fresh chillies are charred over coals or in a dry pan until blistered and soft, which gives the dip its smoky depth. They are pounded in a clay or wooden mortar, the garlic and chillies first, the tomatoes last, and seasoned with , sometimes padaek, the Lao , and finished with fresh coriander and spring onion.
It should be chunky, sweet-sour from the tomato, salty and as hot as the cook likes it.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 400 g small ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- 3 shallots, unpeeled
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 4 to 8 fresh red or green bird's eye chillies
- 1 1/2 tbsp
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 3 cups cooked sticky rice, to serve
Instructions
- 1Thread the chillies, garlic and shallots onto skewers, or lay them with the tomatoes in a dry heavy pan or on a grill over medium heat.
- 2Roast the chillies, garlic and shallots for 5 to 8 minutes, turning, until blistered and soft, and take them off as they are done. Keep roasting the tomatoes for 15 to 20 minutes in all, until the skins are blackened in patches and split and the flesh is soft.✎ Chef’s noteChar matters more than neatness. Leave some of the blackened skin on; it is where the smoky flavour comes from.
- 3Peel the garlic and shallots. Pound the chillies, garlic and salt in a mortar to a rough paste, then add the shallots and pound again.
- 4Add the tomatoes and pound gently, pressing rather than smashing so they do not splash, until you have a chunky sauce. Stir in the fish sauce, taste, and finish with the coriander and spring onion. Serve at room temperature with sticky rice and grilled meat or vegetables.
Lao home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Luang Prabang. The town's own dishes are far more particular than Lao food in general: aor lam, a stew given a numbing edge by sakhan pepperwood; jaew bong, a chilli paste made with dried buffalo skin; and khai pen, weed lifted from the Mekong, pressed into sheets with sesame and garlic and dried, gathered only a few weeks a year.
🗺️
Laos. The salty note is padaek rather than ordinary fish sauce: unfiltered, chunky, fermented for months, and pungent in a way that separates Lao cooking from Thai. Add to that far less sugar, almost no coconut milk in savoury dishes, and mountains of raw herbs including dill, which is unusual in Southeast Asia, and the differences stop being subtle.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Laos
Tam Mak Hoong (Lao Green Papaya Salad)Shredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with padaek, lime, chili, garlic, and tomato, the dark, funky, fiery Lao papaya salad.
Larb (Lao Herb & Meat Salad)Warm minced pork tossed with lime, fish sauce, chili flakes, toasted rice powder, and a garden of herbs.
Or LamA Luang Prabang herb stew of meat and vegetables thickened with sticky rice and buzzed with peppery sakhan vine.
Browse all Laos recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven, Grill or barbecue, Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip)?
Tomatoes, shallots, garlic and chillies charred until blistered, then pounded in a mortar with fish sauce and coriander into a smoky, chunky dip for sticky rice.
Where does Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) come from?
Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) is a Lao dish from Luang Prabang, Laos.
Can Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip) take to make?
About 30 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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