Before making this recipe, I questioned using fish sauce in a way that didn’t involve heating it up before eating. I had never eaten fish sauce “raw” but I thought I would give this recipe a shot. Nuoc Cham is a simple dipping sauce made with chilis, garlic, lime juice and of course fish sauce. When all of those ingredients combine it results in a surprisingly mild sauce (and no food poisoning!). It was perfect for the grilled lemongrass chicken and I bet it would be great with spring rolls too.
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)
(makes about 1 cup)
Printable Version
Ingredients:
- 5 Japanese or thai red chili, seeds removed and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 lime, juice
- 1 tsp chili oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
Directions:
- Boil the chilies until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the water and mince the chilies.
- In a bowl, mix all ingredients.