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Banh Xeo dipped in nuoc cham
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5 from 17 votes

Best Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce Recipe - (Nuoc Cham/Nuoc Mam Cham)

Sweet, sour, spicy, yet refreshingly light, this is the best Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce (Nuoc Cham) you'll ever have! It's so tasty, you'll want to sip it! It's my secret flavor bomb, that adds that perfect zing to almost any recipe!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: fish dipping sauce, nuoc cham, vietnamese sauce
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 17kcal
Author: Lima

Equipment

  • garlic press (optional)
  • citrus juicer (optional)

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup water divided, half hot, half cold
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon serrano or thai chili thinly sliced, red, green or mixed
  • 1 tablespoon carrot thinly sliced into matchsticks
  • ½ teaspoon sambal olek optional

Instructions

  • Mix the sugar and hot water (half the total water) in a bowl. Once dissolved add the remaining water.
    Nuoc Cham Cooking Method Step 1
  • Add the lime juice a little bit at a time, tasting as you go until it tastes like limeade.
    Nuoc Cham Cooking Method Step 2
  • Add the fish sauce. Mix and taste. Add more water, sugar or lime juice to suit your preference.
    Nuoc Cham Cooking Method Step 3
  • Add the garlic, serrano chili, carrots and sambal olek (optional), Serve immediately,
    Nuoc Cham Cooking Method Step 4

Video

Notes

  • Flavor adjustment:  You can play with the ingredient amounts like the amount of to adjust the sauce to your own taste. For example you can vary the amount of sugar if you prefer this sauce on the sweeter side. Add more fresh chili if you prefer a hot sauce.

Nutrition

A single serving of this Nuoc Cham fish dipping sauce has about 17 calories, 0.3 grams of protein, 0 grams of fat, and 4.4 grams of carbohydrates.

This recipe yields approximately eight servings. The nutrition guidance is intended for informational purposes only. Please use it as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.