Nuoc Cham Sua Yen Mach (Sweet and Sour Creamy Dipping Sauce)
Vietnamese dishesSauces and DipsSouthern Vietnam15 minutes
This dipping sauce suits grilled chicken and boiled greens alike. A good bowl balances salty, sour, sweet and hot, with a light body. Mixing it in a rush leaves it harsh or heavy with the smell of fish sauce.
The salty sour base of fish sauce and vinegar comes together first. The sweet, creamy part is whisked in until every bubble disappears, and water goes in last to set the thickness.
This batch weighs about 413g, at roughly 10 calories per 100g.
Method
Measure out 42g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 53ml unsweetened oat milk, 30ml fish sauce, 20ml vinegar or lime juice, 5g garlic and 5g chili. Mince or blend the fresh garlic and chili finely so they dissolve easily.
Combine 30ml fish sauce and 20ml vinegar in a small bowl and stir to build the salty sour base.
Stir in 42g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend until it dissolves, then pour in 53ml unsweetened oat milk and whisk hard until the mixture is smooth and free of bubbles.
Add 5g minced garlic and 5g minced chili and stir through.
Pour in 300ml water slowly, stirring all the while, until the sauce reaches the thickness you want.
Taste one last time, balance the salt, acid, sweetness and heat, then rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the flavors settle.
Tips
Toasting the garlic in a dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes before mincing takes off the raw edge and brings out its sweetness.
Soaking the chili in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes softens the bite while keeping the aroma.
Build the salty sour base with the fish sauce and vinegar first, because the other way round leaves foam that takes a long time to settle.
An oat milk base runs thinner, so 15 minutes in the fridge brings the sauce back to body.
Water goes in a little at a time: thicker for boiled greens, looser for fried food.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.