About this component
The bright, addictive fish-sauce dip that defines the Vietnamese table — sweet, sour, salty and fragrant with garlic and chile. Southern versions lean sweeter; northern ones are saltier and less sweet.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1 cup (240 ml)
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Heat
- Mild–Medium
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fish sauce
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lime juice
- 2–3 tbsp (25–40 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1–2 bird's eye chiles, minced
Method
- Dissolve the sugar in warm water.
- Stir in fish sauce and lime juice.
- Add garlic and chile; they float, a sign of a well-balanced sauce.
- Taste and adjust the four elements.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- The classic four-way balance; tune water to soften and lime to brighten. Garlic should float.
- Substitutions
- Rice vinegar for part of the lime; thin soy sauce for a vegetarian nuoc cham chay.
- Storage and food safety
- Refrigerate up to 1 week. Contains fish (allergen).
The Complete Edition
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Vietnam chapter it belongs to.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.