Stir-fry & noodle sauces

Nước Chấm

Name: Nước Chấm
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 100g caster sugar; 300ml water, warm; 100ml fish sauce; 100ml lime juice, from about 4 limes; 30ml rice vinegar; 4 cloves (20g) garlic, finely chopped; 3 (6g) bird's eye chillies, finely chopped

The Vietnamese dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and water with raw garlic and bird's eye chilli. Sweet, sour, salty and light.

makes 18 cubes, about 8p each

Jump to recipe

Time: 15 min15 min prep
Makes: 18 cubes
Cost per cubePer cube: 8p
Calories per cubeCalories: 26 kcal
A serving: 2 cubes
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

cubes

100gcaster sugar
300mlwater, warm
100mlfish sauce
100mllime juice, from about 4 limes
30mlrice vinegar
4 cloves (20g)garlic, finely chopped
3 (6g)bird's eye chillies, finely chopped

Allergens: Fish. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Nutrition

estimated

	1 cube	2 cubes
Energy	26 kcal	52 kcal
Protein	0.4g	0.8g
Carbs	6g	12g
Fat	0g	0g
Fibre	0.1g	0.2g
Salt	1.28g	2.56g

Method

Step 1: Stir the sugar into the warm water until it has completely dissolved.
Step 2: Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and rice vinegar.
Step 3: Taste: it should be equally sweet, sour and salty, and mild enough to sip from a spoon. Add a little more water, lime or sugar to balance it.
Step 4: Stir in the garlic and chillies and leave for 10 minutes for the garlic to flavour the sauce.
Step 5: Stir well so each cube gets garlic and chilli, pour into 30ml trays and freeze.

Use it for

2 cubesDipping sauce for spring rolls or summer rolls
3 cubesDressing for a noodle bowl with grilled meat or tofu
2 cubesDressing for a crunchy slaw or rice salad
2 cubesSpooned over grilled pork, chicken or fish

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per cube	26	0.4g	6g	0g	0.1g	1.28g
Per 2 cubes	52	0.8g	12g	0g	0.2g	2.56g

Cook’s notes

Thaw in a small bowl for 30 minutes, or warm for 20 seconds in the microwave, and stir.
Warm water from the kettle dissolves the sugar quickly; let it cool a little before adding the lime.
Add shredded carrot when you serve rather than before freezing, so it stays crunchy.

Use it for

Dipping sauce for spring rolls or summer rolls · 2 cubes
Dressing for a noodle bowl with grilled meat or tofu · 3 cubes
Dressing for a crunchy slaw or rice salad · 2 cubes
Spooned over grilled pork, chicken or fish · 2 cubes

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 4 months.
Use from frozen: Thaw in a small bowl for 30 minutes, or warm for 20 seconds in the microwave, and stir. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
A portion: 2 cubes is a serving: about 52 kcal.

Nước Chấm questions

Can I make it without fish sauce?

Use 60ml light soy sauce and 40ml extra water in place of the fish sauce. It tastes different but keeps the same sweet, sour and salty balance, and becomes vegan; the page's allergen labels stay as written.

Why dissolve the sugar first?

Sugar dissolves slowly in cold lime juice and fish sauce, which leaves the sauce grainy and hard to balance. Dissolving it in warm water first means you can taste it accurately.

Can I use bottled lime juice?

Fresh lime juice tastes much brighter and is worth the squeezing. Bottled works at a push; add it a little at a time as it can be sharper.