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Nuoc Cham Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

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Nuoc Cham Vietnamese sauce

What is Nuoc Cham Vietnamese Dipping Sauce?

Nuoc cham is a popular condiment in Vietnamese cuisine that adds a burst of flavor with its unique combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, marinade for grilled meats, and dressing for noodle dishes. Our family’s favourite way of enjoying this zesty sauce is to drizzle it over a bed of salad and rice noodles, topped with avocado and crispy beef mince. Yum!

This sauce is a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors that work together to tantalize your taste buds. It is incredibly easy to prepare, by simply mixing fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chili pepper, and water together until the sugar dissolves. You can easily adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more lime juice for sourness, more sugar for sweetness, or more chilli pepper for spiciness.

nuoc cham ingredients
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How to make Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 small chilli pepper minced

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, water, sugar, and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Add the minced garlic and chili pepper and stir to combine.
  3. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more lime juice for sourness, sugar for sweetness, or chili pepper for spiciness.
  4. Serve in small dipping bowls alongside your favorite Vietnamese dishes.

Recipe Notes

Add rice vinegar to bulk out the sauce and for some extra flavour.