Nuoc Cham: a great dipping sauce, easy to make! - Tiki Drinks and Food

H Humuhumu Member San Francisco Joined: Aug 22, 2002 Posts: 3691	H Humuhumu Posted posted on Sun, Nov 26, 2006 8:43 AM Last night, I was introduced to Nuoc Cham, a very tasty sweet & sour Vietnamese dipping sauce. Nuoc Cham 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice 2 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce 2 tbsp. water Stir the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. That's all there is to it! This simple combo winds up tasting A) delicious, and B) vaguely like a Mai Tai. Of course, it's missing a lot of the elements of a Mai Tai, but the balance of sweet-to-sour-to-fish-sauce does come together just right. I made this as a dipping sauce for crab legs, and it was so yummy that we hardly touched the melted butter with lemon that I'd also prepared. I got the recipe from an excellent cookbook called Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen. Since I'm new to Nuoc Cham, I don't know what it's traditionally served with, but I want to try it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls -- I've never been a fan of the syrupy sweet & sour sauce they're usually served with, where the sour seems to have been forgotten altogether. Maybe it would be good with Crab Rangoon as well? I'd love to hear more ideas for food this sauce would go well with.

Last night, I was introduced to Nuoc Cham, a very tasty sweet & sour Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Nuoc Cham
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. Asian fish sauce
2 tbsp. water

Stir the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.

That's all there is to it! This simple combo winds up tasting A) delicious, and B) vaguely like a Mai Tai. Of course, it's missing a lot of the elements of a Mai Tai, but the balance of sweet-to-sour-to-fish-sauce does come together just right.

I made this as a dipping sauce for crab legs, and it was so yummy that we hardly touched the melted butter with lemon that I'd also prepared. I got the recipe from an excellent cookbook called Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen.

Since I'm new to Nuoc Cham, I don't know what it's traditionally served with, but I want to try it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls -- I've never been a fan of the syrupy sweet & sour sauce they're usually served with, where the sour seems to have been forgotten altogether. Maybe it would be good with Crab Rangoon as well? I'd love to hear more ideas for food this sauce would go well with.

Post #268748 by Humuhumu on Sun, Nov 26, 2006 8:43 AM