Nuoc Cham aka AP Fish Sauce...

I shared this recipe on my guest post over at Opera Girl Cooks, but enough people have asked me how to make this stuff that I thought I should share it here, too.
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If you've ever had cha gio (jchah ZUH) (deep fried spring rolls) at a Vietnamese restaurant, you've likely gotten a bowl of nuoc cham (noohk JCHAHM) to go with it. Nuoc cham is that sweet and salty fish sauce based dipping sauce that seems too watery to be considered a sauce in the context of most other cuisines but somehow works beautifully with the crunch of the roll, the savory of the filling, and the crisp of the lettuce and herbs you're supposed to wrap around the roll (which I notice a lot of people don't - I think they're missing out).

BBQ pork bun, dressed with nuoc cham

It's also the dressing you get when you order a bowl of bun (boohn), whether it be topped with aforementioned cha gio, grilled pork, shrimp, or any combination of the three.

a salad of red lettuce, Persian cukes, red onion, and fresh
mint and cilantro, dressed with a
nuoc cham based dressing

And in my kitchen, it is a mother sauce of sorts. I most often use it to dress bun, but I also modify it to make regular salad dressing or to make a lighter dipping sauce for goi cuon (the fresh summer rolls), and most recently, to dress a Thai style slaw to throw on some jumbo hotdogs. With an extra squeeze of citrus and a splash of oil, it makes a great quick marinade for fish.

our Labor Day dinner of Thai slawdog, the slaw
also dressed with some leftover nuoc cham

And the best thing is it keeps indefinitely in the fridge. You could make some today for your noodle salad, and whatever's left over will taste just as good with the spring rolls you decide to make a month from today.

BASIC NUOC CHAM
Makes about 3/4 cup sauce

- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Stir or whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until sugar is completely dissolved.

basic nuoc cham

nuoc cham with minced red onion for an added layer
of savory flavor, sliced fresh serranos for heat,
and a splash of oil for extra body

There are so many ways you can dress up the basic sauce. For dressing, you could add a splash more of an acid element like fresh citrus juice and some oil. You can add fresh mint, basil, or cilantro. A dollop of sriracha or chili garlic paste is also a great addition, as are a few slices of fresh chilies such as jalapeno, serrano, or even habanero.

If you have questions or suggestions on ways to use it, please do comment. :)

Off to wash dishes and select more recipes for the book...

shinae