Nuoc Cham

Ingredients

Sauce

• 4 tbspfish sauce
• 4 tbspsugar
• 4 tbsplime juice, from about 3 limes
• 8 tbspwarm water

Aromatics

• 3 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
• 2bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped

Optional

• 1 tbsprice vinegar
• shredded carrot and daikon
• a pinch of ground black pepper

Directions

1. Use a good fish sauce. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water first, stirring until it is completely clear.
2. Warm water rather than hot, which would dull the fresh flavours. Add the fish sauce and stir it through the sweetened water.
3. Add the lime last and add it gradually. It is the element that varies most, and it is easy to go too far and impossible to take back.
4. Chop the garlic and chilli very finely rather than crushing them.
5. Stir them in last, so they stay suspended. It should be sweet, sour, salty and hot all at once, with no single element dominating.
6. Let it stand 15 minutes before serving so the flavours settle together. Add shredded carrot and daikon for the version served with bánh xèo and grilled meats.
7. Serve it in small individual bowls for dipping rather than pouring it over the dish in the kitchen. It keeps a week in the fridge, though the garlic and chilli are best added fresh each time.

Technique

• Nước mắm pha is the fuller name, meaning mixed fish sauce.
• Nước chấm chay is the vegetarian version, made with soy sauce and salt.
• The sauce base without garlic and chilli keeps for weeks.

Substitutions

• Rice vinegar for part of the lime juice, which keeps longer.
• Palm sugar in place of white sugar, which is rounder.

Variations

• With shredded carrot and daikon.
• Northern style, saltier and sharper.
• Vegetarian, made with soy sauce.

History

Dipping sauce balancing fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic and chilli; northern versions are saltier and southern ones sweeter.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nuoc Cham?

Nuoc Cham is a sauce & condiment from Vietnam: fish-sauce lime dip balancing sweet, sour, salty and hot. Dipping sauce balancing fish sauce, lime, sugar, garlic and chilli; northern versions are saltier and southern ones sweeter.

How long does Nuoc Cham take to make?

Nuoc Cham takes 10 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes about 300 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Nuoc Cham?

Yes, within limits. Rice vinegar for part of the lime juice, which keeps longer. Palm sugar in place of white sugar, which is rounder.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nuoc Cham?

Warm water rather than hot, which would dull the fresh flavours. Add the fish sauce and stir it through the sweetened water.