Sauces are essential to cuisines worldwide, be it as toppings or fillings. For centuries, they have been used to make a dish taste just right. Depending upon the type of flavor you want, you can use sauces to make your food taste sweeter, sourer, spicier or any other taste you would like to intensify. They can also be used to enhance the color and texture of your food. So while your food tastes delicious, it also looks so appealing that nobody would be able to resist it. Vietnam is known for its vast variety of traditional dipping sauces. You can use it for stews, meat, beans, noodles, and any food for which you would like to diversify the flavor. Nuoc Cham is a very unique sauce as it combines all the possible tastes and flavors you can have in one dish. Due to its versatility, it can be used in various types of Vietnamese foods and doesn’t necessarily have to be used only as a visible topping. You may also find that this all-around dipping sauce has slightly different ingredients, depending upon the region of Vietnam it is prepared in. Since there are many variations of this sauce, all these varieties are often collectively called the Nuoc Cham sauces. The variations usually differ in ingredients and the ratio of water and fish sauce, and the ratios of other ingredients.
Fresh Lime Juice. Vinegar. Fish Sauce. Chilis. Thai peppers are the most popular, though bird’s eye chilies are excellent here. You can use any of your favorite chilies. Water.
Although Thai chilis are one of the most popular choices for this classic Vietnamese sauce. If there is already a mix of spices in your fish sauce, you can skip adding chilis to Nuoc Cham altogether, if you don’t want to make it tangier. There are many variations of the Nuoc Cham:
In the Northern regions of Vietnam, you will find the taste of pork and shrimp, in addition to the fish. In southern regions, you will find the use of coconut to add a sweet taste. And in central regions, you will find more water added to the sauce and hence, a thinner dip!
When making the Nuoc Cham at home in a small bowl, you can play a bit around with the original ingredients. Stay constant with the fish sauce and water, as they have a major role in this wonderful sauce. But try out your local alternatives for adding sugar, spice, and everything nice. And you will have made your very own variation of the Nuoc Cham. Stir in the fish sauce and taste. Adjust with more as desired. Finally, stir in the sliced peppers and mince garlic. Boom, done. Serve as desired. Due to the fish sauce, it even has a hint of tanginess. The umami sets it apart from other sauces that only contain either too much sugar or too much spice. It is the perfect combination of all flavors combined into one healthy and mouth-watering dipping sauce. Use it as a dipping sauce if you’re not confident about adding something for seasoning during cooking. Here is a breakdown of how Nuoc Cham gets its flavors and taste from various ingredients:
Lime juice: Adds the sour taste - freshly squeezed is ideal Vinegar: Enhances the sour taste Fish sauce: Gives it its salty taste Chilis: Makes it nice and spicy
As for the ‘Cham’, make it longer by emphasizing the ‘a’ as an ‘aaaahhhhhh’. So the perfect way to pronounce ‘Nuoc Cham’ is ‘Knock Chaaaaam’. That is the general way to pronounce the name of this Vietnamese dipping sauce, but your accent may vary depending on the country you live in.
