Lightly fry the shrimp paste to bring out the aromas, and discard any oil that is forced out by the heat. Mix the ingredients with half the fish sauce in a food processor and taste add more fish sauce until it is just salty enough for you.

Variation: add up to 6 finely sliced red chiles.

Once you have your dressings, you are ready to make one of a number of Thai dips.

1: Nam Jim Mamuang

Prepare one cup of shredded green (i.e. unripe) mango, and combine it with the dressing.

Variation: Instead of shredding the mango just julienne it. If you use the chile variation of the dressing the result is a Som Dam Mamuang (an Isan variant - the normal som dam is made with papaya).

2: Use a cup of coarsely chopped pineapple (nam jim sapparot).

3: Try a cup of any chopped fruit.

4: A variation my wife calls Nam Jim Luk Koei (kai luk koei is "son in law eggs" and is done with fried hard boiled (quails) eggs in a caramelized onion sauce). Take a cup of mixed "round things" - maraschino cherries, cherry tomatoes, cocktail olives, hard boiled quails eggs. Mix with the dressing(s) and serve on cocktail sticks.

A variation my wife calls "devil's finger food."

Take about 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste, and fry it. Mix in about 1 tablespoon of sliced red chiles. Use this mixture to stuff pitted olives (instead of the usual bland pimento) and serve it with a hot version of the chile dressing from above.

Caveat: Even I find this a little hot...

Special thanks to - Muoi Khuntilanont.