Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
makes about 1 cup
This traditional sauce appears on the table at most Vietnamese meals. Add a small handful of shredded carrots and you have a vegetable relish. For the ultimate nuoc cham, grind the garlic, chili and sugar with a mortar and pestle.Read more about this recipe in Nancie McDermott's Quick & Easy Vietnamese.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (or finely chopped fresh hot red chilies or 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
prep: 5 minutes
total: 5 minutes
mortar and pestle
small bowl
whisk
small serving bowls (or jar)
Combine the garlic, sugar and chili-garlic sauce in a the bowl of a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Scrape the paste into a small bowl and stir in the fish sauce, water and lime juice. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Transfer to small serving bowls for dipping. Or transfer to a jar, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
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