Vietnamese Spicy Fish Sauce

This basic sauce has the same essential flavors that are included in most Southeast Asian dipping sauces. Americans who are unfamiliar with Vietnamese food may prefer a sauce with less fish sauce, or a sauce made with Thai fish sauce, which is milder. In fact this sauce is very similar to one of the most popular Thai dipping sauces, nam prik. In Vietnam, nuoc cham might be served with a bowl of rice to constitute a simple meal, but it is also an almost universal sauce for salads—it’s