Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
A traditional Vietnamese nuoc cham – a sweet, sour and salty dipping sauce or noodle salad dressing that is surprisingly refreshing and addictive.
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Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 125 ml hot water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 60 ml fish sauce, see recipe notes
- 60 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 60 ml rice wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 long red chilli, finely diced
Instructions
- Pour the hot water into a bowl and immediately add the sugar and whisk to dissolve. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Add the fish sauce, lime juice and rice wine vinegar. Stir and taste. If it’s too funky from the fish sauce, you may want to balance it out with a little extra lime juice. If it’s too tangy, you may want to add more sugar and water. Add small amounts at a time, mix and taste until you find the right balance for your tastebuds or the meal you’re serving the nuoc cham with.
- When the base is ready, add in the finely diced garlic and chilli, stir, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Cook along with me
Notes
Personally, I prefer the Squid Brand of fish sauce, but each brand will bring with it a different level of saltiness and funk/umami flavour. If you’re still learning to appreciate fish sauce, perhaps start off with half the amount, taste, and see if you want to add any more.
For fresh spring rolls or noddle and cabbage salads, you might look for a sour-forward version. Scallions make a nice addition here. Whereas for fried or grilled fish and meats, you might want a slightly sweeter sauce, maybe even adding in some finely diced pineapple.
You can store nuoc cham in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It can be kept longer, but you’ll lose the freshness of the lime juice, garlic and chilli, and no longer than a week.
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Nutrition
Serving: 2tbsp | Calories: 21kcal