How to Make Vietnamese Nuoc Cham (Fish Sauce) for Dipping

Fish sauce is a speciality of South-East Asian cuisine generally. In Vietnam it is called Nuoc Cham where it is their go-to dipping sauce.  There are so many fabulous sauces based on fish out there although in many cases the bought sauce does the job. It is good to have such a dipping sauce available which has stickiness enhanced so it binds to the food as well as making it a house requirement. Use for spring rolls (cha-gio). 

This recipe comes from one of our contacts in Bristol. We also see this one on Hawaian cuisine menus where it has travelled well. Some officianados like to increase the number of spoons of sugar to 2, even three but this alters the sweetness profile considerably.

Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes

Yield: 350ml – 400ml or roughly under 2 cups. Should be plenty for other uses if it is diluted with water to make an ingredient.

Equipment:

• Pestle and mortar or an electric blender

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons good quality fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 3 – 4 tablespoons lime juice – freshly squeezed
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3 hot Thai chilies or Bird’s-Eye chilies, deseeded and sliced, some minced. The alternative is a tablespoon of hot chili sauce (tuong ot).
• 55g-60g (nearly a 1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons/140ml water
• 50g (1/2 cup) grated or thinly shredded carrot (optional)
• up to 1 teaspoon of salt

Preparation:

1. Take a pestle and mortar or a grinder, and mince the garlic and chili. If the mortar is used, a rougher paste is created. Add small amounts of water to make it runny if needs be and keep the mixture turning.
2. Add all the other ingredients. Add the sugar and ensure it is fully dissolved in the paste.
3. If you put the sauce in small bowls or saucers, just garnish with grated and shredded carrot.