Nem Sauce – Easy Nước Chấm

Nuoc cham, also known as nem sauce, is a flavorful and versatile Vietnamese condiment. When you think of many Vietnamese dishes, it is hard to imagine enjoying them without a little nuoc cham on the side!

Yes, even though in France nước chấm is often associated with a single version, the sauce served with nems, it is actually an umbrella term that covers an entire family of dipping sauces.

What is nuoc cham?

The expression is a symbol of Vietnam’s culinary diversity, covering countless preparations made with fish sauce (nước mắm), soy sauce, condensed milk, or tamarind paste. The terminology, however, varies from one region of Vietnam to another.

In the south, where options abound, the term nước chấm is often used to distinguish a dipping sauce from a plain bowl of fish sauce or soy sauce. During family meals with the older generation, people usually speak of nước tương or nước mắm.

Unlike diners in the North and in Miền Trung, most Southerners and people from the Miền Tây region do not dip their food into straight nước mắm. They prefer a blended sauce, usually sweetened with sugar. As a result, the expressions nước chấm or even đồ chấm are used to describe any sauce meant for dipping.

For many people, nước chấm means nước mắm that has been diluted and seasoned with water, sugar, garlic, chili, coconut milk, and so on…

That said, in a restaurant, if you ask “cho xin nước chấm,” the server may bring you a range of sauces – chili sauce, mayonnaise, fish sauce, soy sauce, mắm nêm, or other sốt – chosen to suit your dish. Basically, you are asking for a dipping sauce.

In the North, nước mắm that has been mixed with other ingredients is called nước mắm pha. Often, however, people just say nước mắm, with the pha element understood; the term nước chấm is more often used for condiments whose main component is not nước mắm.

These terms can, of course, overlap. In this article, nước chấm refers to a salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce made with fish sauce, garlic, lime juice, sugar, chilies, and vinegar.

A dipping sauce, a vinaigrette, and a condiment in one!

This nem sauce wears many hats at the table.

It is perfect for dipping spring rolls and pork nems or chicken nems, and it also makes an excellent dressing for Vietnamese rice noodle salads like bò bún. You can even dip my famous bánh cuốn

It is also fantastic with almost any grilled meat. Dip your meat in it or drizzle nuoc cham over rice on the side. Trust me, the bowl will be empty halfway through the meal.

Whether you use nuoc cham as a dressing, a dip, or even a meat marinade, it is so versatile and tasty that I consider it an almost perfect condiment.

Quick summer salad idea with nuoc cham

• Lettuce
• Grated daikon radish
• Grated carrots
• Grated Chinese cabbage
• Some aromatics such as scallions, shallots and cilantro

How to store nem sauce?

It keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Always use clean utensils when serving.

Nem sauce ingredients

White rice vinegar: the most common Asian vinegar. You will find it in almost every store, but if necessary, substitute white wine vinegar.

Fish sauce, or nuoc mam: it does not taste fishy; it is simply delicious and is a staple of Vietnamese cooking.

Secret tip: if you are lucky enough to have some, add a little mẹ to the sauce; cooks in some regions of Vietnam do this.