Go Back
–+ servings
Jar of nuoc mam next to a small dish, half a lime and garlic.

My Mom's Nước Mắm Recipe (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

Linda Feller
Nước Mắm is a pungent, salty, sweet, umami-packed sauce that is a treasure of Vietnamese cuisine…and my childhood! Drizzled over dishes or served as a dipping sauce, it always provides a unique depth of flavor.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep time.15 minutes
Cook time.3 minutes
Total time.18 minutes
Course.Sauce
Cuisine.Vietnamese
Number of servings.12 ~1 tablespoon servings
Calories per serving.22 kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2-4 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce
  • 2 fresh limes, juiced, to taste (not bottled juice)
  • 1-2 small red chilis, sliced very thin, to taste (optional)

Instructions

  • Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Set aside and cool completely.
  • Stir in the garlic, fish sauce (starting with 2 tbsp), garlic, lime juice (start with the juice of 1), and chilis.
  • Add more fish sauce and lime juice to balance the salt and citrus to your taste.

Notes

Fish sauce will darken and deepen in flavor as it ages in the bottle. You may need 4 tbsp if it's a new, unopened bottle, or somewhere between 2-4 tbsp if its older. Likewise, limes vary in size, level of juice, and flavor, so you may need more or less than 2.
Store the dipping sauce in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for a couple of months. Glass is ideal because it’s won’t take on the smell of the fish sauce!

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Keywords.stove top
Did You Make This Recipe?Be sure to share a comment below!