Nước chấm, a sweet-sour Vietnamese condiment, can add zing to any number of Vietnamese dishes—from chả giò (fried spring rolls), also known as nem rán, to bun cha (grilled meatballs with vermicelli). Make this nước chấm recipe from cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, who encourages adjusting the amounts of lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar to suit your taste and achieve the desired balance of sour, salty, and sweet.
Time: 5 minutes
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
- 2 bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the lime juice, sugar, and ⅔ cup warm water until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the fish sauce, chiles, and garlic. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container to keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (Optionally, set aside the nước chấm at room temperature for up to 24 hours before serving or refrigerating, to let the flavors further meld.)