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There’s no way around it-you can’t do Vietnamese food without nước mắm (fish sauce). It’s the main base in nước chấm, a light dipping sauce that accompanies most Vietnamese dishes. You’d think this would be an issue for Vietnamese vegans and vegetarians, but it’s actually the easiest thing, especially for those of us who grew up around the spiritual traditions of vegetarianism.
Continuing with #VeganMofo18 (I’m behind in prompts but that’s ok), I’ve been developing a few recipes inspired by my family, starting with this post! I could dedicate another post to fish sauce itself (and the vegan version), but today we’re talking about nước mắm chấm chay, or vegan fish dipping sauce. “Vegan fish sauce?!” Is this a disrespectful departure from my own culture? Before continuing, I want to note that this concept is nothing new. What kind of sauce do you think Vietnamese Buddhist temples have been using for generations, for vegetarian rice and vermicelli dishes, during ngày chay (vegetarian fasting days)? Who else loves temple food? 🙂
Ngày chay: Chay means vegetarian in Vietnamese. Ngày chay means vegetarian fasting days, as per Buddhist practice, which can vary by tradition. Typically, those who adhere to this will practice vegetarianism on certain days, including holidays such as Lunar New Year, and on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar. Some people practice a vegetarian fast 6-10 days a month. And there are others, like my grandma, who practice yearlong vegetarianism as part of their spiritual development.
While vegetarianism is an important part of Buddhism, and integral to my cultural experience, it should be noted that not everyone in Vietnam is Buddhist, and not all Buddhists adhere to vegetarianism. Not everyone in my family is strictly Buddhist (including myself), but spiritual vegetarianism is definitely a respected tradition that played a large part of my upbringing. When practicing Buddhist vegetarianism, one avoids meat, fish, and eggs (and sometimes onions and garlic).
The word for vegan in Vietnamese would be thuần chay, but this phrase is often unnecessary in my family, as we just refer to vegan dishes as chay. This is because most vegetarian dishes already exclude eggs, and dairy is rarely used in Vietnamese cooking. It depends on where you are though-these things are established and understood in my family, but it may be less obvious in other settings.
My family and I make this vibrant sauce all the time without measuring or writing anything down. Soon, you too, can whip this up with your eyes closed. In my family, we typically just refer to this sauce as “nước mắm (chay)” because “nước mắm chấm (chay)” is kind of a mouthful! It’s absolutely essential for so many Vietnamese dishes, so I figured it’d be a great reference recipe to share, before sharing more Viet recipes on the blog, including:
+ vermicelli bowls of several varieties + spring rolls + broken rice + dumplings + various marinades and dressings + SO MANY MORE DISHES
Forget the generic weak sauce you might find at restaurants-this homemade sauce beats all. The perfect nước mắm chấm is a complex balance of sweet and savory, sharp garlic, and spice, all brightened by the tartness of fresh lime juice. It’s a fusion of umami that is quintessentially Vietnamese, with flavors that are bold and delicate at the same time.
Every family has their own preference of flavor ratios, and this is mine. Use the following as a reference point, and turn this sauce into your own!
Vegan Vietnamese Fish Dipping Sauce Nước Mắm Chấm Chaymakes about 2 cups of sauce Ingredients:
Time: 10 minutes
Method:
3 medium garlic cloves
2 small Thai chili peppers, minced (or to your taste!)*
1/2 cup lime juice (about 2 medium limes)
1.5 cups coconut water**
3 tablespoons sugar***
1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan sea salt
Using a mortar and pestle, finely crush the garlic and chili peppers. Add a dash of lime juice and a dash of salt while crushing, as it helps give the mortar and pestle some abrasiveness, speeding up the process. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can also mince the garlic and chili peppers.
Combine the crushed garlic and chili with the other ingredients, in a bowl or jar, and stir well. Adjust the flavors until everything is well balanced to you. I often end up making adjustments, based on what’s available, or the amount I want to make.
Enjoy as a dipping sauce for springrolls, eggrolls, or dumplings, or drench your vermicelli bowls in it! This sauce will keep for up to a month.
Notes:
*If you don’t have Thai chili peppers on hand, you can also substitute a tablespoon or so of chili garlic paste! I do this frequently when I forget to pick up the fresh chilis.
**My favorite is Harmless Harvest, but the Chaokoh brand at the Asian store is also great! Be sure not to get coconut water with added sweeteners or artificial preservatives, as this will negatively affect the taste. You can also choose to use water, but note that you’ll need to adjust the flavors (adding more sweetness). If using water, it also won’t keep as long, a couple weeks, in comparison to a month with the coconut water.
***You can use any sweetener of your choosing; I frequently use maple syrup as well. Brown sugar or coconut sugar will also work, and these will result in a darker sauce, with more caramel notes. Adjust to your preference.
Nuoc Cham Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce
By Jill Selkowitz / Updated / As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases; see all disclosures.
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce is a sweet and complex Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce used as a condiment for Egg Rolls, Bun, Stir Fry and more.
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce is a Vietnamese Dipping Sauce that is a sweet, slightly spicy, fish sauce used as a condiment for many Vietnamese dishes. I love to dip Vietnamese Eggrolls (oh my gosh, I love Vietnamese eggrolls, all wrapped up in a big lettuce leaf) in the sauce!
It is really good over Bun Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese BBQ Pork Noodle Salad), over White Rice and on many other things. It is super simple to make.
I always say to get the best ingredients your budget allows. My preference is the Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce. Thai Bird Chilies, which are very spicy, add a nice heat to the Nuoc Cham, but if you are not able to find those, a Serrano or Jalapeno will work, or you can just add a little extra of the Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste. Because I use a lot of limes in my cooking, I always have True Lime in my pantry in case I run out of fresh limes.
I promise you, True Lime tastes like you just went outside, picked a lime from your tree and squeezed it fresh. The whole line of True Lime/Lemon products are wonderful and I use the True Spices in my cooking.
You can use a mortar and pestle, or you can just toss everything into a food processor, blender or Vitamix, your choice. Make sure you refrigerate the Nuoc Cham for several hours before using to give the ingredients in the sauce a chance to incorporate.
Don’t forget to prepare your Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese BBQ Pork) for your Bun Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese BBQ Pork & Rice Noodles) too, as it also needs an overnight refrigeration.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
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Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham)
Like an heirloom, every Vietnamese household has their own version of dipping fish sauce (or nuoc mam cham). The fish sauce you find at the grocery store is raw, strong in taste and smell. Add sourness, sweetness, spiciness and you get something that can enhance any meal.
When I first got married, I have no clue how to make the perfect blended fish sauce. I always asked my sister in law (Thao) to make me a batch of dipping fish sauce every time we have people over for vermicelli or for spring rolls. And she is well known for making the best dipping sauce in the family. As I followed my sis in law and mother in law around the kitchen, I’ve learned some tips and tricks in making the best fish sauce. I’m sharing my own version of fish sauce. The perfect fish sauce is always a work in progress, so get started now!
Rule of thumb: Use the 1:1:2
My sis in law (Thao) – her rule of thumb is the 1:1:2 ratio, meaning 1 part fish sauce, 1 part sugar or lime juice (more on that later) and 2 part water (more on that later).
Every single time I asked Thao for a recipe for dipping fish sauce, she always matter-of-factly replied, “You don’t have to be exact, but follow the ratio and adjust to your preference.”
We use 1 part of fish sauce, 1 part of white sugar and 2 part of water.
The 2 part water is a combination of water, lime juice, (or vinegar) and coconut water (or coconut soda).
Regular water verses boiling water
While Thao uses regular water or sometimes bottle water for her fish sauce, my mother in law uses hot water. She stated that hot water (or even boiling water) will “cook” the fish sauce and brings out more flavors. Both work well and for my own version I used hot water.
Vinegar verses lime juice
While vinegar has a better fridge life than lime juice, in our household we only use lime juice for a better and fresher flavor.
This sweet, sour, salty fish sauce is perfect for vermicelli, rice dishes, or spring rolls, etc.
Nuoc mam cham plays an essential part in many Vietnamese dishes. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Vietnamese Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
What’s in this Vietnamese sauce?
extra-virgin olive oil
Asian fish sauce
lime
sambal oelek (red chili paste)
fresh cilantro and mint
shallots
garlic cloves
brown sugar
Kosher salt
Vietnamese Nuoc Cham dipping sauce is so colorful and flavorful! You’ll want to use this versatile sauce with so many Asian dishes.
How to use Nuoc Cham
Check out these delicious recipes that use Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce:
Grilled Flank Steak Lettuce Cups with Nuoc Cham: These Grilled Flank Steak Lettuce Cups are the perfect lettuce wrapped meal and are a cinch to make. They are incredibly flavorful and oh, so healthy!
Pan Seared Halibut with Nuoc Cham Slaw: Flaky Pan Seared Halibut is topped with a tangy, spicy slaw with Nuoc Cham dressing for an impressive, healthy dish!
Grilled Baby Octopus with Nuoc Cham: Tender Grilled Baby Octopus combined with a Vietnamese Nuoc Cham dipping sauce make this appetizer dish a winner!
Asian Slaw with Nuoc Cham Dressing: Tangy, sweet and spicy, this Asian Slaw with Nuoc Cham Dressing is perfect as a side dish or on top of any protein like fish, burgers, or chicken!
TIPS & TRICKS
Most major grocery stores carry sambal oelek in the Asian section. Or you can find it at most Asian markets. You can use Thai chili peppers as a substitute.
Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze it for up to six months.
Update Notes: This post was originally published on November 19, 2017, but was republished with slight text changes and additions, like step by step instructions and tips in July 2020.
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★
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★
★
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5
from
1
reviews
Author:
Asian Caucasian
Prep Time:
10 min
Total Time:
10 min
Yield:
1/3 cup
1
x
Category:
Sauce
Method:
No Cook
Cuisine:
Vietnamese
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Description
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce is a staple at most Vietnamese tables. Easy to prepare, you can whip this up in about 10 minutes! It’s sweet, sour, salty, savory, and spicy!
Ingredients
Scale
¼ cup
extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon
fish sauce
1 teaspoon
grated lime zest plus juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon
sambal oelek (red chili paste)
¼ cup
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
¼ cup
fresh mint, finely chopped
1
large shallot, finely chopped
2
garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons
brown sugar
Pinch Kosher salt
Instructions
In a medium glass mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together and taste for seasoning (ie. more salt).
Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze for up to six months.
Notes
Most major grocery stores carry sambal oelek in the Asian section. Or you can find it at most Asian markets. You can use Thai chili peppers as a substitute.
Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze it for up to six months.
Keywords: Vietnamese, sauce, spicy sauce, dips
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