Nuoc Cham
(Dipping Sauce)
 
From 'World Food Vietnam' 
by Richard Sterling (Lonely Planet) 

April 28, 2000
Web posted at: 5:52 p.m. EDT (2152 GMT)

Ingredients: 
1 to 2 cloves garlic 
1 red chile, stem and seeds removed 
2 teaspoons sugar 
1/4 fresh lime 
2 1/2 tablespoons water 
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) 
To prepare: With a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, chile and sugar into a paste. Squeeze in the lime juice. With a paring knife, remove the pulp from the lime and pound it into the paste, Add water and nuoc mam and mix well. Makes 1 cup (250 milliliters). 

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VIETNAM
Nuoc Cham
(Chili, Garlic, and Fish Sauce)


Piquant dips do double duty as condiments and seasonings in Vietnamese cooking. The base for these is always nuoc mam and you can add ingredients such as lime juice, chopped chilies, chopped nuts, spring onions, fried garlic, ginger and fresh herbs such as coriander, sweet basil, and mint.


4 red chilies
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 limes, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp vinegar
5 tbsp nuoc mam (fish sauce)

Remove stalks from chilies and de-seed if you want a milder dip, though this defeats the purpose of nuoc cham. Pound garlic in a pestle and add chilies one by one, processing until you get a fine paste. Add sugar and lime pieces and pound to a pulp. Remove to a small sauce bowl and add water, vinegar, and fish sauce. Mix well and serve. Variations on the sauce can include chopped coriander, chopped ginger, pineapple, and any fresh herbs.
From:

A Little Vietnamese Cookbook
by Terry Tan
Illustrations by Sherry Tan
Chronicle Books
ISBN 0-8118-0799-1
Reprinted by permission.





