Nước chấm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nước chấm
A bowl of nước chấm

Nước chấm is a popular group of dipping sauces from Vietnam. People often serve these sauces with many different Vietnamese dishes. Think of them like a special topping or flavor boost for your food!

Nước chấm sauces can taste sweet, sour, salty, savory, or even spicy. They add a lot of exciting flavor to meals.

What is Nước mắm pha?

Nước mắm pha means "mixed fish sauce." It is the most famous type of nước chấm. This sauce is made mainly from fish sauce.

How to Make Nước mắm pha

The simplest way to make nước mắm pha uses a few key ingredients:

• Lime juice (or sometimes vinegar)
• One part fish sauce (called nước mắm)
• One part sugar
• Two parts water

For people who are vegetarian, there's a special version called nước chấm chay. This means "vegetarian dipping sauce." Instead of fish sauce, they use Maggi seasoning sauce or nước tương (which is soy sauce).

Extra Flavors for Your Sauce

People often add more ingredients to their nước mắm pha to make it even tastier:

• Crushed raw garlic
• Chopped bird's eye chilis (for a spicy kick!)
• Sometimes, shredded pickled carrot or white radish
• Green papaya (especially for dishes with bún)
• If eating seafood like eels, slices of lemongrass might be added.

Sometimes, the sauce is gently heated on a stove. This helps the sugar dissolve faster. Then, it is cooled down before serving. The taste can change a bit depending on who makes it. But generally, it's known for being strong, unique, sweet, sour, and sometimes spicy.

Regional Styles of Nước chấm

The way nước chấm is made can be different depending on where you are in Vietnam.

Northern Vietnamese Style

In northern Vietnam, people often use nước mắm pha that is cooked. They might also add broth made from pork loin and penaeid shrimp (called tôm he). This gives the sauce a richer flavor.

Central Vietnamese Style

In the central part of the country, people like their nước mắm pha to be less watery. It has the same amounts of fish sauce, lime, and sugar, but less water. They also add fresh chili for more spice.

Southern Vietnamese Style

Southern Vietnamese people often use palm sugar and coconut water to sweeten their sauce. This gives it a slightly different, often milder, sweetness.

How to Use Nước mắm pha

Nước mắm pha is a very versatile sauce. It is typically served with many popular Vietnamese dishes:

• Cơm tấm: This is a rice dish with different toppings like meat, chicken, eggs, seafood, or vegetables. The toppings can be fried, grilled, or stir-fried.
• Chả giò: These are crispy Vietnamese spring rolls.
• Gỏi cuốn: Also known as shrimp salad rolls or "rice paper" rolls. Sometimes, these are served with a peanut sauce instead.
• Bánh cuốn: These are soft "rice rolls" made from wide sheets of rice noodles. They are often filled or topped with meat or seafood.
• Bánh xèo: A pan-fried crêpe made from rice flour and coconut milk. It's usually filled with pork, shrimp, onion, and bean sprouts.
• Bánh hỏi: Very thin vermicelli noodles layered into sheets. They are often topped with scallions in oil.
• Bún: These are rice noodles served with various toppings like meat, chicken, eggs, seafood, or vegetables.