Vietnamese Fish Sauce (Nước Mắm)

Vietnamese people enjoy fish sauce in one form or another almost every day! It’s the heart of so many meals.

This is the simple recipe my mother passed down to me. I swapped the white sugar for brown sugar to make it a little gentler, and we usually mix it up in a recycled 24 oz spaghetti sauce mason jar.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup fish sauce

• ¼ cup brown sugar (organic cane sugar works well too)

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• ½ cup water

• 1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)

• 1–2 tbsp finely grated carrot (optional)

• 1–2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

• Chopped fresh chili (to taste)

Directions:

1. Add the fish sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, and water to a 24 oz mason jar.

2. Put the lid on tightly and shake well until the sugar fully dissolves.

3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Just before serving, stir in the chopped garlic, grated carrot, fresh cilantro, and chopped chili to your preferred taste.

Serve this versatile dipping sauce with Vietnamese egg rolls, spring rolls, grilled meats, rice dishes, or any time you want that classic bright, salty-sweet Vietnamese flavor.

It keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Give it a quick shake before each use.