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This sauce probably doesn’t need much explanation. Fish sauce, or “dipping sauce” as it’s often called, is the most widely used sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. You dip your egg rolls in it. You put it on papaya and other summer salads. And you pretty much put it on many other popular Vietnamese dishes such as bánh cuốn, bánh_xèo, and bánh bột lọc. Unfortunately, the main ingredient in these particular dumplings and wraps (of sorts) is rice or tapioca flour, which isn’t keto friendly. (#Shirataki noodle gods, please make a thin wrap version for us Vietnamese food lovers!)

Okay, well I need not say anymore. Here is the recipe!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce or Fish Sauce (Nước Mắm)

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Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Cuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Try this Vietnamese fish sauce that hits a lot flavor notes. It’s altogether pungent, a little sweet, and has the added spicy kick for many of your Vietnamese dishes. However, it does adapt well if you prefer to use it in cooking to sauté meat, using less sweeteners, or to change up the flavor profile, using more or less lime or fish sauce when being used as a dipping sauce.

Ingredients

3/4 cup 3/4 warm filtered water
5 tablespoons 5 Yai’s Thai sweet chili sauce–It’s the cleanest I can find.
2 tablespoons 2  organic rice vinegar–The organic version can be found at some Asian markets and Sprouts Farmers Market.
1 tablespoons 1 Red Boat fish sauce –Your local Trader Joe’s carries the smaller size, too.
1/2 tablespoon 1/2 organic sriracha
1-1/2 teaspoon 1-1/2 garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp 1-1/2 erythritol or monk fruit sweetener–paleo-friendly sweeteners, such as honey or coconut palm sugar, can also be used
1 lime 1 squeezed
1 teaspoon 1 ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 red chili flakes
1/4 1/4 jalapeño, finely chopped or left in whole slices, optional for added spiciness

Directions

In a glass 16-ounce mixing cup, add the warm filtered water and sweetener. You want to see the sweetener dissolve in the water so if it isn’t you can pop it in the microwave for a minute or use simmered water prior to adding the sweetener.
Add the squeezed lime juice and other ingredients. Then, mix well.
Then, as my mom would say, “Taste it!” Modify it for taste to see if it’s to your liking. (See notes below for suggestions.) Use about 4-6 tablespoons of sauce on a large-bowl vermicelli salad or serve in small saucer dishes for appetizers when using as a dipping sauce.

Notes

In Vietnamese restaurants it’s common to find fish sauce served rather simple, without lime or sweet chili sauce. Lime slices are usually served with fresh greens, bean sprouts, and jalapeños to add to your entrees or sauce, or as a garnish, whether you’re eating a vermicelli salad or pho. That said, it is often expected you will also add any chili sauce or sriracha to your fish sauce, as everyone’s preference for spiciness can vary quite a bit.
Adding fish sauce adds additional saltiness; adding lime gives the sauce a pungency; adding garlic creates dynamic flavor; adding sweet chili sauce provides viscosity and sweetness; and adding sriracha and chilis adds the heat.