Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
A traditional Vietnamese nuoc cham sauce combining the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and umami flavors. Made with fish sauce, lime juice, chilies, and garlic, this versatile dipping sauce is essential for many Vietnamese dishes.
Ingredients
- •3 whole Thai bird chilies
- •1 clove garlic
- •3 tablespoons sugar
- •⅔ cup warm water
- •1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- •5 tablespoons fish sauce
- •2 tablespoons shredded carrots
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cut the chilies into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chilies and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chilies, garlic and sugar in a mortar, and pound into a coarse, wet paste. (If you don't have a mortar, just chop with a knife.) Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Add the reserved chilies and carrots. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving.
15 min
- 2.
NOTE: Nuoc cham is very amenable to variations and adaptations. In Vietnam, cooks like to use various vegetables to flavor the sauce, such as thinly sliced marinated daikon and carrots, ginger, scallion oil or peanuts and even slices of kohlrabi and the core of a white cabbage. Each imparts a distinctive savoriness.
