Jan 28th, 2008
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)
I have a lot of friends who love Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham). When they ask me for the recipe, I tell them it's a closely guarded family secret. However, I have finally received permission from my parents to disclose the formula. It took a lot of groveling on my part and even a few tears were shed, but I got their blessing.
Okay, I made the last part up, but wouldn't it be more special if it really was a secret? Anyway, every Vietnamese family has a dipping sauce recipe. The ingredients in nuoc cham are generally the same, but the proportions vary based on personal tastes and regions in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese cookbook author, Andrea Nguyen, "as you move south the sauce gets sweeter, hotter, and more garlicky."
This may explain why I don't like the nuoc cham made in San Francisco restaurants, which are generally too sweet for my tastes. My family is from the middle part of the country and I was born in Da Nang. It all makes sense now.
As you gain experience with this dipping sauce, adjust it to suit your preferences. There's no secret formula. It's just a simple sauce with a great blend of salty, sour, sweet and spicy. For some meals, I like adding or substituting ginger for the garlic (nuoc cham gung). The ginger dipping sauce is great with a meal of roasted duck and sticky rice.
I'm going to post the recipe for my mom's crab and shrimp egg roll (cha gio) shortly, which requires nuoc cham. To whet your appetite, I leave you with this picture.
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) Recipe
SND Note: This recipe is how my family likes our nuoc cham. Adjust the ingredients to your tastes, particularly the lime since the juice varies with each fruit. To make a ginger dipping sauce (nuoc cham gung), add 1 tablespoon of minced ginger.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup fish sauce (Viet Huong Three Crabs brand)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 of a lime, juiced
3-4 cloves of garlic , minced
2-3 Thai chili pepper, minced
Directions:
1) In a small sealable jar, combine water and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice and mix. Adjust flavors to taste.
2) Add garlic and chili pepper. The sauce can be stored at room temperature, if served the same day. Otherwise, store it in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
18 Comments on “Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)”
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canarygirl.com » Happy Chinese New Year (a day late! lol) Curry Chicken Fried Rice, Spring Rolls and Chuck's Nuoc Cham
[...] this special day. Chuck over at Sunday Night Dinner posted his mom’s top secret recipes for Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce) and Cha Gio (Spring Rolls) recently, and I just couldn’t go another day without making some [...]
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vietnamese chicken and sauce recipes
[...] dipping sauce recipe. … vietnamese Roasted chicken Ga Ro Ti - March 24, 2008 vietnamese Crispy …http://sundaynitedinner.com/vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham/Vietnamese Food and Recipe … bussiness directory offering information on vietnamese news, music, [...]
*High five!* A fellow nguoi Trung. :)
Funny! I was all set to post a nuoc cham recipe too since I’m working on my bun thit nuong post. Previous recipes I just give the ingredients without the proportions. I actually rarely make my own nuoc mam b/c my mom gave me a gigantic jar that I still haven’t finished more than six months later.
I make mine on the stove though, with the burner on low, to evenly dissolve and mix the sugar.
Your photos are just amazing! Great post today…look forward to your next one:)
Yes, everyone has their own recipe. It took me ages — years, really — to realize that the choice of fish sauce makes all the difference. I only use Three Crabs, too.
I like my Nuoc Cham less sweet too!
I can drink Nuoc Cham! How long does it usually hold up for?
WC, [high five!], right back at you. My mom used to make it on the stove top too when I was young. But she switched to the no cook method 10-15 years ago. I just nuke the water a little bit to make the sugar dissolve faster.
JEP, thanks!
Lydia, the right fish sauce really makes a difference. I saw a TV show that had fish sauce tasting with different brands of Vietnamese fish sauce (small manufacturers and some homemade) and it was like a wine tasting… different fish sauces for different purposes. That would be an interesting and pungent tasting experience.
Jaden, right on sista!
Cakewardrobe, if you store it in the fridge, it can last up to 30 days. I’ve stored some jars much longer and I’m embarrassed to tell you how long. The shelf life can be extended if you don’t put the garlic and chilies in immediately, just add them on the day of use.
I love nuoc cham on oysters. It’s a beautiful combination. Do some people make theirs with palm sugar?
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been making up my own nuoc cham for awhile, but wanted to see if mine was even close (it is - we use the same brand of fish sauce!). I LOVE Vietnamese food!
Keith, I have never used palm sugar in nuoc cham, but I’ve seen recipes with it. You’ll have to heat the palm sugar with water in a sauce pan to dissolve it. Let it cool and the rest of the steps is the same. I really like palm sugar and use it all the time in our Thai green curry.
Heather, no problem. I’m glad you love my peeps’ food!
Oh my this looks so good! I can’t wait to try it…I LOVE LOVE LOVE! Vietnamese spring rolls, and your nuoc cham looks perfect! :)
Now….I have a recipe for spring rolls that is pretty good, but would you be willing to share yours? Pretty please? :)
thank you for sharing this! i’m looking forward to preparing this with my next batch of vietnamese spring rolls :-)
Nikki, since you asked so nicely, I’m adding spring rolls (goi cuon) on my list of items to make and share. Now that you mentioned it, Hungry Bear has a craving for it!
Josie, if you like peanuts, I prefer a peanut dipping sauce with my spring rolls. The sauce is a mixture of crunchy peanut butter, thick hoisin sauce, stock and a few other ingredients. I’ll try to post it in a few weeks.
ooooooh thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! :)
Chuck, thank you and thank your mom for a fabulous sauce recipe! I just made it, and it is just delicous! :) Look for a post maybe tomorrow on ma’blogz…Awesome, man. Seriously. :)
Canarygirl, yeah! I’m glad you like the recipe!
Delicious. Its simple to make, but yet good recipes like that allow me to worry about other things. Thanks!