Nouc Mam Pla

Making Fish Sauce

Nuoc Mam Cham is the dipping sauce for spring rolls served in Vietnamese restaurants. It customarily comes in a small bowl with shredded carrots on top, and daikon and/or chilies on the side. To make it you need fish sauce (a fermented anchovy product - Nam Pla), which is common here (S.F.), but probably a bit harder to get in some other places. (i.e. Cooperstown in the off season). As a workaround, I've included a vegetarian substitution.

Simple
• 1 part lime/lemon juice. Vinegar has also been known to be used in a pinch
• 1 part fish sauce
• 1 part sugar
• 2 parts water

Workaround
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic crushed
• 1/2 t crushed chili flake
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 c water

Southern Style
• 1/4 cup water or fresh coconut juice
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 red chili, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce

In each case, you make a simple syrup first. (boil the water, melt the sugar in, and let cool), add the other ingredients, toss in some grated carrots, and let it meld. It keeps well, so it's best to make it way ahead of time. Most restaurants make a huge batch (enough to fill a agua fresca jug - several gallons) and portion it with a little ladle. You might not need quite that much for a dinner at home.