Students Learn Traditional Mekong River Chili Paste in Nong Khai
Students from Khon Kaen University’s 1+3 project participated in an Identity Camp in Nong Khai, where they learned to prepare the traditional Mekong riverside chili paste known as jaew sop. The process involves treating bai bon leaves to remove their itchy properties, fermenting and steaming them, then blending with chili, garlic, shallots, and fish. The dish recently earned second place in a national Thai PBS cooking competition.
The students learned that bai bon leaves cause intense itching when touched, so they must be processed correctly. After gathering the leaves, they are dried in the shade for three days, then pounded with rice washing water, lime, and salt to reduce the itch. The pounded mixture is fermented in bamboo tubes for another three days, then steamed. The resulting bai bon has a tobacco‑like aroma, giving the paste its name ‘jaew sop’. To finish the chili paste, they pound chili, shallots, garlic with smoked Mekong river fish (or mackerel as a convenient substitute), season it with boiled fermented fish sauce, and sprinkle sliced ginger for fragrance to mask the leaf’s scent. The final ‘jaew sop’ is served with pickled bamboo shoots. Recently the dish was entered in the Thai PBS ‘Yok Khok’ competition and won second place nationally. Supaporn Panyatakul was also mentioned in the report.
