Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Preparation Cut the chilies into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chilies and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chilies, garlic and sugar in a mortar, and pound into a coarse, wet paste. (If you don't have a mortar, just chop with a knife.) Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Add the reserved chilies and carrots. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving. NOTE: Nuoc cham is very amenable to variations and adaptations. In Vietnam, cooks like to use various vegetables to flavor the sauce, such as thinly sliced marinated daikon and carrots, ginger, scallion oil or peanuts and even slices of kohlrabi and the core of a white cabbage. Each imparts a distinctive savoriness. Chef Mai Pham shares her tips with Epicurious:· The Thai bird chile, a short, narrow, pointed, green or red variety, is not exclusively Thai — it's also the Vietnamese hot pepper of choice. "In Vietnam, we just call them peppers," says Pham. Thai bird chiles can be found at Asian grocery stores and better supermarkets, or ordered from Asian foods supplier Uwajimaya at (800) 889-1928. If you can't find them, Pham suggests substituting fresh red serrano chiles, which are hotter and sweeter than their green counterparts. · Fish sauce (nuoc mam), a pungent, salty liquid made from fermented anchovies, adds depth and flavor to numerous Vietnamese dishes. For best results, choose bottles priced at $3 to $4 rather than $1, and pass on jars that are dark, which indicates oxidation or the presence of additives. "Look for fish sauce in glass jars. Avoid plastic," says Pham. "The fish sauce should have a nice, even color, like iced tea." She suggests Three Crabs, Lobster Boy, and Phu Quoc brands. When cooking with fish sauce, always add it to other liquids: Never place it directly in a hot, dry pan, which would broadcast its pungent, fishy odor throughout your kitchen in a less-than-pleasant way. Soy sauce is an acceptable vegetarian substitute, though it does lack fish sauce's smoky complexity. • Pham recommends using a mortar and pestle, rather than a knife, to mash the aromatic ingredients. This will help release their essential oils, giving the dish a fuller, "sparkling" flavor. Reprinted with permission from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. © 2001 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Preparation Cut the chilies into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chilies and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chilies, garlic and sugar in a mortar, and pound into a coarse, wet paste. (If you don't have a mortar, just chop with a knife.) Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Add the reserved chilies and carrots. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving. NOTE: Nuoc cham is very amenable to variations and adaptations. In Vietnam, cooks like to use various vegetables to flavor the sauce, such as thinly sliced marinated daikon and carrots, ginger, scallion oil or peanuts and even slices of kohlrabi and the core of a white cabbage. Each imparts a distinctive savoriness. Chef Mai Pham shares her tips with Epicurious:· The Thai bird chile, a short, narrow, pointed, green or red variety, is not exclusively Thai — it's also the Vietnamese hot pepper of choice. "In Vietnam, we just call them peppers," says Pham. Thai bird chiles can be found at Asian grocery stores and better supermarkets, or ordered from Asian foods supplier Uwajimaya at (800) 889-1928. If you can't find them, Pham suggests substituting fresh red serrano chiles, which are hotter and sweeter than their green counterparts. · Fish sauce (nuoc mam), a pungent, salty liquid made from fermented anchovies, adds depth and flavor to numerous Vietnamese dishes. For best results, choose bottles priced at $3 to $4 rather than $1, and pass on jars that are dark, which indicates oxidation or the presence of additives. "Look for fish sauce in glass jars. Avoid plastic," says Pham. "The fish sauce should have a nice, even color, like iced tea." She suggests Three Crabs, Lobster Boy, and Phu Quoc brands. When cooking with fish sauce, always add it to other liquids: Never place it directly in a hot, dry pan, which would broadcast its pungent, fishy odor throughout your kitchen in a less-than-pleasant way. Soy sauce is an acceptable vegetarian substitute, though it does lack fish sauce's smoky complexity. • Pham recommends using a mortar and pestle, rather than a knife, to mash the aromatic ingredients. This will help release their essential oils, giving the dish a fuller, "sparkling" flavor. Reprinted with permission from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. © 2001 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.