The Simple Way To Give Homemade Nước Chấm A Flavor Twist

Hailing from Vietnam, nước chấm is a flavorful fish sauce creation that you should always keep in your pantry. This dipping sauce is typically made with fish sauce, sugar, water, minced garlic or chili, and lime juice. However, when speaking with Tasting Table, expert chef Kevin Tien offered a flavorful twist on the dish, noting that any citrus presently in season can substitute for lemon juice. "When making nước chấm, instead of always just using lime juice, I like to use other seasonal citrus, like kumquat, blood oranges, Meyer lemon, or calamansi," the chef explains.

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Considering that Tien was named a finalist in the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2024, and his Vietnamese restaurant, Moon Rabbit in Washington D.C., was cited as one of The New York Times's 2024 "America's Best Restaurants," we are certainly paying attention. Of course, depending on which citrus fruit you use to make your homemade nước chấm, you may need to modify the other ingredients accordingly. "I would adjust the acid level of each with rice wine vinegar," advises Tien. As with any recipe modifications, taste as you go and add ingredients conservatively so that you don't have to backtrack overpowering flavors.

A flavorful upgrade in a splash

Instead of relegating the sauce to a mere condiment for dipping, nước chấm can also enhance batters by adding spicy depth to the dough and amplify some of your favorite marinade recipes. It may even be used to sauté vegetables. With homemade nước chấm stocked in your kitchen, you can make any soup instantly tastier — and the same applies to other dishes with minimal effort. We also enjoy drizzling the sauce on top of salads or spooning some nước chấm into a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

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Consider making several batches of nước chấm and adjusting the levels of sweetness and heat in each one. You may want to create a savory version with more herbs or a zesty sauce with extra zing. For dinner parties, you can set out each of these styles for guests to dress up their meals as they please. Serve with the absolute best gyoza dumplings, a Thai smashed cucumber salad, or Vietnamese-inspired lemongrass chicken thighs, and your friends will be begging for your culinary secrets.

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