I posted this question months ago on the food forum but not one answer.....so I hope you don't mind if I ask it here, there being quite a few very knowledgable people here;

There is a dipping sauce, called larb kom I think, that is made with chilli, fish sauce, and beef bile. Maybe lime juice too. I think it is Issan, although I first tried it in Auckland with a Cambodian family, and first had it in Thailand in Mae Sot even though I had been to Laos and stayed in Nong Bua Lomphu for a day and night before going to Mae Sot and did not see it in Issan.

It is so moorish. I love it.

I have created a fairly decent take-off of it with fish sauce, lime, chilli, shallots, and freshly expressed coffee. This is a nice dipping sauce for bbq meats, especially pork, beef, and lamb.... not my fave with chicken though.

What I want to know is, how is the bile prepared in the first place? I am sure it is not pure raw bile.

I used to be a MAF meat inspector and I have access to ovine bile through my contacts (bovine bile is saved by the abbatoirs for selling to the soap industry, so I can't get that for free).

I guess ovine bile would do.

I also want to experiment with fish bile.

Does anyone know and love this sauce? Can anyone tell me how to prepare the bile?

Please!!!!!

I KNOW many of you will be repulsed by the thought of bile in your food......thankfully I didn't know what the sauce was made of for more than a year of having it whenever the opportunity arose. Once I DID learn, my addiction to it by far overcame any feelings of disgust.

The combination of bitter (bile), sweet (shallots and maybe sugar), salt (nam bpla), and sour (lime), make this the perfect symphony of all 5 of the taste sensations. This sauce has umami too (both bile and nam bpla provide umami, I guess).

To any gormands here....I recommend it

I've seen pig bile added to food up here. When we kill a pig the boys often share the bile out into glasses of lao khao and drink it.

I'm really not sure that I've ever tried cows bile, sounds like something that would go into party food so I probably have.

dis discussion is makin' me bilious

I've seen pig bile added to food up here. When we kill a pig the boys often share the bile out into glasses of lao khao and drink it.

I'm really not sure that I've ever tried cows bile, sounds like something that would go into party food so I probably have.

Be a bit like campari.

I used to own a block of land in the village with my brother in law and he built a small karaoke restaurant on it to give his new son in law the job of managing it.

The drink of choice amongst the less financial customers was lao khao and I noticed that the more discerning tipplers used take it with a few drops of colouring liquid in it. Looked like Agnostura Bitters but I don't think it was.

sceadugenga's blog

For a good sauce of purified bile, the general forum may be more apt..... years of practice in there.

There's nothing more tiresome than someone's outrage at people who don't agree with their opinions.

Come on people!!! Surely SOMEONE has tried this dipping sauce???

I'll ask mr boo, he is a culinary expert of all things gross like that. He'd eat the scabby arse off a donkey if he thought it would taste nice. Will report back later, off to KK & Pattaya 2 this afternoon.

My wife tells me that I can only dip my meat in her sauce.

I KNOW many of you will be repulsed by the thought of bile in your food......

Yip, ya got that right

I'll ask mr boo, he is a culinary expert of all things gross like that. He'd eat the scabby arse off a donkey if he thought it would taste nice. Will report back later, off to KK & Pattaya 2 this afternoon.

Thanks Boo. I'd appreciate that.

I too will eat almost anything. Variety is the spice of life.

He said it's called Kii Pia in thai, you can boil it for 5-10 minutes, it is usually wrapped in part of the stomach or you can take the Kii Pia not wrapped & fry it for a couple of minute till it bubbles. This gives the bitter taste or Kom of Larb Kom. You can also substitute the bile for Naam Dee, can be bought in a bottle same like fish sauce. A lot of thais use this instead of Kii Pia.

He said to get a really good taste should add fresh blood too.

He said it's called Kii Pia in thai, you can boil it for 5-10 minutes, it is usually wrapped in part of the stomach or you can take the Kii Pia not wrapped & fry it for a couple of minute till it bubbles. This gives the bitter taste or Kom of Larb Kom. You can also substitute the bile for Naam Dee, can be bought in a bottle same like fish sauce. A lot of thais use this instead of Kii Pia.

He said to get a really good taste should add fresh blood too.

Thanks so much for looking into it.

I'm a little confused because I thought nam dee IS bile.

If it can be bought in a bottle, that's even better...I will look out for it.

Thanks Boo.