Jingjok
น้ำจิ้มสุกี้: the sauce bar
náam-jîm-sù-gîi
น้ำจิ้มสุกี้ is the orange-red Thai dip of chili sauce, garlic, fermented tofu and sesame, and the bar next to it is where the evening is won. The formula Thais share: three spoons of suki sauce, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, chili to taste and a squeeze of lime. For a tom yum pot, two spoons of seafood sauce to one of suki. Mild: suki and sesame sauce, one to one. Japanese style: ponzu with chili, garlic and spring onion. Taste first, add gradually, and never add fish sauce: the broth gets saltier as it boils down. Dip after lifting the meat out and do not flood the rice. The bar is for the table only; bottled sauce is sold at the till.
Try this today
Mix the base formula once as written, then change one thing at a time until it is yours.
Your first 90 days of Thai
Culture cards in Jingjok are tied to the words that carry them, each ending in one thing to try today.
- WEEKS 1–2 · SURVIVEGreet anyone, pay, and order food and 7-Eleven exactly how you like it.
- WEEKS 3–6 · SETTLE INGet around by taxi, Grab and skytrain, find anything, and handle your landlord.
- WEEKS 7–12 · RUN YOUR LIFEPharmacy, bank, SIM and apps, how you feel, and a weekend away, all in Thai.
The first week is free.