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Vietnamese Noodle Salads: Cool Meals for Warm Summer Nights

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

by Mai Pham
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Keep a jar of this sauce in the refrigerator; it will last for a month. You can find ground chile paste (my favorite is Rooster brand) and fish sauce at many supermarkets but always at Asian groceries.Yields 1-1/2 cups.

ingredient discovery
Ingredients Asian chile paste Bird chiles Asian fish sauce more
1 clove garlic
2 to 3 Thai bird chiles (or 1 small jalapeño or serrano chile), cored, seeded, and minced; more or less to taste
1/2 tsp. ground chile paste; more or less to taste
2/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. shredded carrots (optional)

In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and fresh chiles to a paste. (Or mince them together with a knife.) In a small bowl, combine this garlic and chile mixture with the chile paste, hot water, and sugar. Stir well. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and combine. Float the carrots on top. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before using.

photo: Ben Fink
From Fine Cooking 27, pp. 58-63
June 1, 1998

user reviews

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by beastmommy, 9/29/2008
by kit4na666, 8/8/2008this sauce is good with everithing rice,salads and dipping the taste is almost erotic
by 04celt49, 7/19/2008Though there are hundreds of variations of this recipie this one has all the essentials and has wonderfull flavour.It can still work well with less sugar however. Andrew Gillies