Mock Nuoc Cham dipping sauce
Makes about 1 cup of sauce
That sweet and sour heavenly sauce that loves to be doused over Viet cuisine. This recipe makes a little more that the usual recipe, because I love it so much. I prefer to keep this free of soy sauce for a lighter colored sauce.
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup water
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely minced red hot chile
4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons finely shredded carrot
Sprinkle of sesame seeds
Optional: a few shredded mint leaves
1. Mix lime juice, water, sugar, minced chile pepper, garlic and sea salt in a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat, stir, and simmer for 10-12 minutes until liquid has thickened to the consistency of a thin syrup. Remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds. Let cool to room temperature and stir in shredded carrot before serving.
Optional: I like the light color of mock nuoc, but if you prefer a fermented salty flavor similar to fish sauce and don’t mind a darker color use 4 teaspoons of light Chinese style soy sauce in place of salt.
