Nam chim or nam jim is Thai for "dipping sauce". It can refer to a wide variety of dipping sauces in Thai cuisine, with many of them a combination of salty, sweet, spicy and sour. Nam chim tend to be more watery in consistency than nam phrik. Although Sriracha sauce is commonly known as sot Sriracha in Thailand, it is sometimes called nam chim Sriracha or nam phrik Sriracha. A more-or-less generic and basic nam chim is used for grilled or steamed seafood. This sauce contains garlic, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and bird's eyechilies. Variations on this basic recipe find their use as a dipping sauce with and as an integral part of many dishes. Many of the ingredients in a nam chim are finely chopped or pounded in a mortar and pestle or, non-traditionally, ground in a blender.
Nam chim kai, sweet chili sauce is a very common all-round chili dipping sauce with the consistency of a thick syrup. It is medium spicy and very sweet, normally referred to as "sweet Thai chili sauce" in English. It is often used as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. It can be used as a generic chili sauce for other dishes. It forms the base of a few other types of nam chim, such as nam chim thot man pla.
Nam chim chaeo, using ground dry-roasted glutinous rice, this sauce is most often eaten with mu yang/mu ping or kai yang.
Nam chim sate is the Thai version of peanut sauce; it is eaten with Thai satay.
Achat is the Thai version of the Malay/Indonesian acar timun. The Thai variety consists of fresh chopped cucumber, spring onion and chili, mixed with vinegar. It is usually served with nam chim sate as a dip for satay.
Nam chim suki is eaten with Thai suki and . The main ingredients are chili sauce, chili, garlic and sesame seeds.
Nam chim thale — a basic dipping sauce made with garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chilis — is usually eaten with grilled or steamed seafood.
Nam chim thot man , served as a dip with thot man pla, is similar to nam chim kai but with chopped cucumber, crushed peanut and coriander leaves. For thot man kung or pu, however, a very sweet plum sauce is provided.
Nam chim paesa is served as a sauce for steamed fish wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves.
