Have you ever wondered how Vietnamese salad bowls taste so damn good? Yes, it’s the fresh herbs and the vermicelli noodles. But it’s the fish sauce dressing that glues it all together.
- 6 in 1 Mandoline with stainless steel blades
- Easy to clean and large capacity
- Compact and practical
- Ribbon, Spiral, Julienne, Mandoline and Grater cutting blades
What is Vietnamese Fish Sauce?
Vietnamese dipping or fish sauce also known as ‘nuoc mam’ or ‘nuoc cham’ is the ultimate liquid gold that is fresh, spicy, and sweet. This is commonly used to dress salads or as a dipping sauce for cold rolls or spring rolls and I even put a good dose on my lemongrass chicken. It hits all the flavor elements of sweet, sour, and spicy, taking your salad to the next level.
This is the dipping sauce I grew up with as a kid, it was made often because this sauce pairs well with so many Vietnamese dishes. My Mum would also make an amazing sugarless version to dip boiled greens in.
Nuoc Mam is one of the most versatile dipping sauces. It’s quick and easy and one of the first things I learned how to make.
The best thing about it is that YOU get to choose how you want this sauce to taste. There is no perfect recipe but I am here to give you my favorite! You can tweak it however you like because not everyone loves a sour dressing or a super sweet sauce, so you can choose the balance of flavors.
I personally love a good balance of all three elements, but slightly more on the sour side. This is because I tend to drizzle this over salt-heavy meals such as lemongrass chicken or spring rolls, so the tanginess combats the salt and you get massive flavor bombs here.
- JUST TWO INGREDIENTS: We use only sea salt and black anchovies caught off of the crystal clear waters of Vietnam’s Phú Quốc archipelago
- 100% PURE FLAVOR: Our first press fish sauce is first press and 40N, which means that it has high protein content (more fish = more flavor)
- EFFORTLESSLY ADD UMAMI: Use in sauces, marinades, dressings, soups, broths & stocks, fried rice, and vegetables.
What do you need to make Vietnamese Fish Sauce?
The sauce takes 10 minutes to prepare and you only need 6 pantry staples for this.
All you need is fish sauce (Squid Brand is my favorite brand to use), water, sugar, red chilli, garlic, and lime. Everyone has their own version, I have seen some people squeeze orange juice or add rice vinegar. So, there are many substitutes if you do not have these ingredients on hand.
I usually use bird’s eye chillies because I like the extra kick! But if you’re not a fan of spice, you can use bullhorn chillies which will give you the colour and mild spice.
Note: The consistency of bullhorn chilli is like capsicum so you may need to spend a little more time chopping these.
Make sure to take it easy when adding the fish sauce, you can always add more but never take out!
- Authentic Thai fish sauce
- Made from fresh anchovies and salt
- Naturally fermented for 18 months to achieve quality fish sauce
- Can be used for stir-frying, marinating and also for dipping
I usually have a jar of this ready to go if we randomly decide to have late-night spring rolls or wontons. However, you can make this ahead of time but I recommend you make a fresh batch because it will complement and make the dish taste better.
Vietnamese Fish Sauce
Ingredients
- 1-2 whole limes
- 5 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 tbsp White or raw sugar
- 1/4 cup Warm water (dissolve the sugar)
- 1 whole Birds eye chilli
- 3 whole Garlic gloves minced
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in water.
- Squeeze in lime, continuing to stir until balanced. The acidity in limes and lemons can vary so use your taste buds here.
- Slowly add fish sauce, spoon by spoon, until it reaches what the recipe calls for or until you are happy with the balance. Ensure you are tasting along the way.
- Add the finely chopped chilli and garlic.
- Serve this over some Lemongrass Chicken or your next noodle salad bowl.
FAQ
The sweetness can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of sugar. Some people prefer a more savory or tangy nước chấm, while others like it sweeter.
Yes, lemon juice can be used in place of lime, though lime juice is more traditional in Vietnamese cooking. Lemon will give it a slightly different but still delicious flavor.
You can substitute fish sauce with soy sauce or vegetarian fish sauce made from soybeans and seaweed. Adjust other ingredients like lime, sugar, and garlic accordingly for balance.
Spring rolls (gỏi cuốn)
Grilled pork (thịt nướng)
Vermicelli bowls (bún)
Lemongrass chicken (gà nướng sả)
Fried spring rolls (chả giò)
Vietnamese pancakes (bánh xèo)
To tone down the pungency, dilute the fish sauce with more water or add extra lime juice and sugar. Also adding some julienne-cut carrots will take some of the smell away and add texture.
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