Known as nuoc cham, this Vietnamese table sauce is used to season dumplings, soups, and noodle dishes.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground chile paste
1 Thai bird chile or serrano pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated carrots, for garnish
Preparation
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, chile paste, and fresh chile, if desired, into a paste (or mince together with a knife). Transfer to a bowl. Add the fish sauce, 2/3 cup hot water, the lime juice, and sugar. Whisk together until the sugar dissolves. Garnish with the carrots, and serve.
Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.
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