Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước Chấm)
Nuoc Cham is a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce that is sweet, salty, tangy, and garlicky! This plant-based version uses vegan fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili, resulting in a wonderful blend of flavors. It perfectly accompanies fresh spring rolls, bánh xèo, egg rolls, salads, and so much more!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 Bird's eye chili finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine the sugar with the fish sauce. Add the sugar and fish sauce to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Next, add the chopped garlic and chili to the bowl.
- Dilute with water and lime juice. Pour in the water and lime juice and stir again until the sugar has completely dissolved. At this point, you can taste it and adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your liking.
- You can keep the sauce for up to 2 weeks if you bring it to a boil, and do not add any garlic or chili. You can add these later on when you plan to use the sauce.
Notes
- Heat the water. To help the sugar dissolve quicker, bring the water to a boil before combining it with the other ingredients. Alternatively, you can heat all of the ingredients together over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Crush the garlic and chili. If you have a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and chili to help them release even more flavor before adding them to the sauce.
- Adjust the sweetness and saltiness. Depending on your taste and the brand of vegan fish sauce used, you might have to adjust the amount of sugar and/or vegan fish sauce. Also, be aware this recipe is based on Southern Vietnamese cuisine, which tends to be on the sweeter side.
- Adjust the spiciness to taste. I recommend starting with 1/4 of Thai chili and adding more to taste.
- Let the sauce rest. Let the sauce rest for 5-10 minutes before using. It will allow the garlic and chili to infuse the sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 80 kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.3 g | Protein: 1 g | Sodium: 1390 mg | Potassium: 67 mg | Fiber: 0.1 g | Sugar: 19.3 g | Calcium: 11 mg