Lao Jeow (Crack Sauce)

Lao Jeow — the crack sauce of Lao cuisine. A thick, reddish-orange chili paste that hits every note: spicy, sour, salty, umami, with a deep roasted edge from the chilies.

It's built on roasted chilies pounded into a paste, mixed with fish sauce, lime, garlic, and sometimes a little pork skin or fermented fish for depth. The result is a sauce so addictive you'll put it on rice, on grilled meat, on everything.

The lime wedges on the side are not garnish — squeeze them in right before you eat. The acid cuts the heat and wakes up every flavor in the bowl.