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Home » Recipes » Sauces

Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha)

Published: Apr 26, 2021 by Suzanne Nuyen · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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Fish sauce runs in my veins, and nước mắm pha is one of the most essential recipes to have under your belt when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. This sweet, sour, salty and spicy dipping sauce shows up in so many places. It can be a vinaigrette or salad dressing in gỏi, or salads. It's used as a dipping sauce for many dishes like my catfish spring rolls and is used as a sauce in others like a thịt nướng vermicelli bowl or my water chestnut cake with pork topping (bánh đúc mặn). I also use it as a glaze for my fish sauce wings.

Pin Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha) To Try Later!

A bowl of seasoned fish sauce on a wooden board with limes, garlic cloves and Thai chiles

You might see this sauce also named nước chấm (dipping sauce) or even nước mắm (fish sauce). Nước mắm can be confusing because it can mean both the bottled fish sauce that goes into this recipe OR the dipping sauce, which has sugar, lime, garlic and chiles added. It's kind of like how some people may call lettuce leaves salad as well as a salad composed of lettuce leaves, toppings and dressings.

All you need to know is that nước mắm, nước chấm and nước mắm pha can all mean the same thing with little nuances in translation. The end result is that you get a sweet, salty, sour and savory dipping sauce and vinaigrette that you'll want to put on everything!

This recipe is more of a guide than a real recipe. Because some brands of fish sauce are saltier than others, and it can often get more salty the longer it's left after the jar is opened, all measurements are a guide. Additionally, some limes can be sweeter while others are more sour. It's important to taste as you go along and find a balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy that you like most.

This nước mắm pha recipe is a basic recipe. You'll find that some dishes require a thicker sauce (less water), or no garlic. When eating duck, ginger is usually added to the fish sauce.

Jump to:
  • 🐟 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 💭 Tips and substitutions
  • 🍚 Serving suggestions
  • 🥡 How to store or make in advance
  • 👪 Serving size
  • Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha)

🐟 Ingredients

Ingredients for Nước Mắm Pha on a cutting board

You will need:

  • 4 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 4 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoon water
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced garlic
  • 1-3 thai chiles (optional), minced

🔪 Instructions

Mix the fish sauce, sugar, and water together. Add the juice of 1 lime a little bit at a time, tasting as you go until you get a desired sourness. I usually use the whole lime for 4 tablespoon of fish sauce. Sometimes I will use more and sometimes I'll use less, depending on how sour the lime is.

Add the minced garlic and thai chiles and taste again. Add more lime if needed.

💭 Tips and substitutions

A bowl of seasoned fish sauce on a wooden board with limes, garlic cloves and Thai chiles

You can use the juice of half a lemon if you do not have limes. Lemons are sweeter than limes and you may need more juice to get your desired level of tartness.

You can also replace the lime with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Cut back the sugar by 1 teaspoon if using apple cider vinegar as it is a little sweet.

Do NOT use jarred lime juice as it will have a bitter aftertaste.

🍚 Serving suggestions

Use this as a salad dressing, a dip for spring rolls and egg rolls, or reduce it until it is sticky for a chicken wing glaze. Drizzle it over noodle or rice bowls with grilled meats and vegetables. Add some ginger to it and serve it as a dipping sauce for duck.

🥡 How to store or make in advance

This fish sauce will last about two weeks in an airtight jar in the fridge. It will last longer if you leave out the garlic and chile until it is ready to serve.

This recipe is easy to scale down or up depending on how much you need. Just make sure that the ratio of fish sauce to water to sugar is 1:1:1. Always use the same amount of each of those ingredients, and then add your lime juice or vinegary until it is sour enough.

A bowl of seasoned fish sauce on a wooden board with limes, garlic cloves and Thai chiles

👪 Serving size

This recipe makes a little over half a cup of fish sauce. Scale it up or down as needed.

A bowl of seasoned fish sauce on a wooden board with limes, garlic cloves and Thai chiles
Print Pin
4.50 from 2 votes

Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha)

This versatile Vietnamese sauce tastes good on everything! Use it as a salad dressing, dip or marinade.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese
Keyword fish sauce,
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 10 tablespoon
Calories 28kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 4 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoon water
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 2 cloves garlic minced garlic
  • 1-3 thai chiles optional, minced

Instructions

  • Mix the fish sauce, sugar, and water together.
  • Add the juice of 1 lime a little bit at a time, tasting as you go until you get a desired sourness. I usually use the whole lime for 4 tablespoon of fish sauce. Sometimes I will use more and sometimes I'll use less, depending on how sour the lime is.
  • Add the minced garlic and thai chiles and taste again. Add more lime if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.3g | Protein: 0.9g | Sodium: 727mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5.44g | Vitamin A: -14IU
Nutrition Facts
Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha)
Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp)
Calories 28
% Daily Value*
Sodium 727mg32%
Potassium 9mg0%
Carbohydrates 6.3g2%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 5.44g6%
Protein 0.9g2%
Vitamin A -14IU-0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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