Thai Mango Dipping Sauce Recipe (Nam Pla Wan)
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This Thai mango dipping sauce recipe (nam pla wan) is the sweet, salty, and spicy dip you’ll find served with crisp green mangoes all over Thailand. It also tastes delicious with other tart fruits and keeps well in the fridge.
This sauce is popular in both Thailand and Laos. I also have the Lao version if you’d like to compare the two: jeow mak muang.
What is nam pla wan?
Nam pla wan (น้ำปลาหวาน) is a traditional Thai fruit dipping sauce made with palm sugar, fish sauce, dried shrimp, shrimp paste, shallots, and chili. It’s most often served with tart green mangoes, but it’s just as good with pineapple, green apple, guava, and other slightly sour fruits.
The name literally means “sweet fish sauce.” Even though it’s called a sauce, it’s much thicker than fish sauce on its own thanks to the melted palm sugar and chopped dried shrimp. It has a sweet, salty, spicy flavor and is packed with umami.
During mango season, it’s common to see vendors selling bags of sliced green mango with a small container of nam pla wan on the side.
How to choose the best green mango
The best green mangoes are firm and completely unripe. They should feel hard when gently squeezed and have bright green skin without soft spots or patches of yellow.
For nam pla wan, you want a mango that’s crisp and tart. As the mango ripens, it becomes too sweet for this Thai mango sauce. If you have an Asian grocery store nearby, you’ll usually find the best varieties there during mango season.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find everything at Asian grocery stores or markets. Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Dried shrimp: These give the sauce its signature chewy texture and a deep savory flavor.
- Shrimp paste: Melts into the sauce, giving it the rich, salty depth that makes it taste like the versions sold in Thailand. Use Thai shrimp paste if you can.
- Fish sauce: A good Thai fish sauce like Megachef makes a noticeable difference here.
- Palm sugar: I always use palm sugar because it melts into a rich syrup with a caramel-like flavor. White sugar will make the sauce sweet, but it won’t taste quite the same.
- Thai chili flakes: These provide most of the heat. Start with less if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Fresh chilies (optional): I almost always add a few bird’s-eye or Jinda chilies. Leave them out if you prefer a milder dipping sauce.
- Shallots: Finely chopped shallots add little bites of sweetness and crunch.
- Water: Just enough to dissolve the palm sugar and bring everything together. The finished sauce should be thick enough to cling to each slice of mango, not run off it.
How to make Thai green mango dipping sauce
1: Cook the sauce. Add the water, palm sugar, shrimp paste, fish sauce, shallots, dried shrimp, chili flakes, and fresh chilies (if using) to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the palm sugar has completely dissolved.
2: Simmer. Cover with a lid and let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be slightly thickened but still pourable. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
3: Prepare the mango. Peel the green mango and slice it into thin wedges or sticks. If you’re not serving it right away, keep the slices in a bowl of cold water so they stay crisp. Serve the mango with the sauce for dipping.
How to store
- Refrigerate: Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing it.
- Serve: You can enjoy it at room temperature, but I actually prefer it chilled with cold slices of crisp green mango. If the sauce thickens in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
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Thai Mango Dipping Sauce Recipe (Nam Pla Wan)
Ingredients
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried mini shrimp
- 1 tsp dried chili flakes
- ⅓ cup palm sugar
- 1 chili
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- Cook the sauce. Add the water, palm sugar, shrimp paste, fish sauce, shallots, dried shrimp, Thai chili flakes, and fresh chilies (if using) to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the palm sugar has dissolved.
- Simmer. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Cool. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool. It will thicken a little more as it cools.
- Prepare the fruit. Peel and slice the green mango into wedges or sticks. If not serving immediately, keep the slices in cold water to stay crisp.
- Serve. Transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl and enjoy it with green mango or your favorite tart fruit.
Video
@hungryinthailand.com Mango with dipping sauce, yummy! 😜 #thaifood #mango #fruity #dippingsauce #tiktokthailand
♬ ฉันอ้วน (I’m Fat) [Special Version] – YELLOWSKRT
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
- The sauce should be thick enough to coat the fruit without dripping off.
Thank you I love eating raw mangoe slices with salt & chilli powder,now I will make this sauce and eat my mangoe with nam pla wan
Enjoy the recipe!
❤️❤️❤️