Jaew bong is a sweet and spicy Laotian chili paste made with Laotian chili

Chili pepper

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...

es, galangal

Galangal

Galangal is a rhizome of plants of the genus Alpinia or Kaempferia in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originated from Indonesia...

 and other ingredients commonly found in Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

. Its distinguishing ingredient, however, is water buffalo skin.

It is eaten usually by dipping Laotian sticky rice or a raw/parboiled vegetable in it. It's also a condiment for a Laotian riverweed snack called Kaipen

Kaipen

Kaipen is a Laotian snack made of fresh water green algae, vegetables, and sesame seeds.Kaipen is produced in the city of Luang Prabang in Northern Central Laos. During the hot dry summer months, when the river level is at its lowest, the green algae, called kai, is gathered from the river bottom....

. Jaew bong lasts for a long time, does not spoil easily and can be either on the spicier or sweeter side, depending who makes it. Characteristically, it is both sweet and spicy.