Vietnamese dipping sauce: nuoc cham

In Vietnam, you can’t escape it: nuoc cham is the sauce for dipping everything into. Whether it’s fresh summer rolls made from rice paper or seasoned and grilled minced pork, its bright, tangy flavor goes well with everything.

The sauce has the perfect balance of sour, salty and sweet thanks to the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Also delicious over fried salmon and some Japanese rice.

How to make nuoc cham yourself

Mix the lime juice, fish sauce and granulated sugar, and keep stirring until the sugar has mostly dissolved. Finely chop the garlic (or use a microplane) and finely dice the red chili pepper as well. Add the garlic, pepper and water.

Also read:

• How to make the most delicious roasted garlic from the oven
• Large garlic prawns with white wine
• An ode to garlic sauce