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!
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.
🐟 Ingredients
You will need:
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp 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 tbsp 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
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 tsp 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.
👪 Serving size
This recipe makes a little over half a cup of fish sauce. Scale it up or down as needed.
📋 Recipe
Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm Pha)
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp 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 tbsp 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
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