Nuoc Cham (Vietnam)

Yield: about 1/2 cup to serve 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 small, hot, red chile pepper, seeds and membranes removed
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 fresh lime, juice and pulp only
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce*
• 2 to 4 tablespoons water, according to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the garlic and chile pepper in a mortar and mash with the pestle until a paste is formed.
2. Squeeze the lime juice into the paste, then remove the pulp from the lime and add it to the mixture.
3. Mash to a paste again, and add the fish sauce and water, stirring to combine.

Notes

* Also known as nuoc mam, it is available in finer supermarkets and Asian specialty shops.

Purists insist that the garlic and chili pepper be ground together in a mortar and pestle, although acceptable results can be obtained by processing all the ingredients in a food processor. The traditional procedure is as follows: