Vietnamese · sauce/condiment
Nuoc Cham
Nuoc Cham reads funk & ferment 7.0, umami 7.0 and sourness 6.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Vietnamese sauce/condiment, about 10 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 8.9 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 5.3 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 8.3 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 0.5 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 1.4 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.7 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Funk & Ferment 7.0 · Umami 7.0 · Sourness 6.5 · Salinity 6.3 · Citrus 6.1 · Marine & Briny 5.6 · Sweetness 5.0 · Heat 4.3 · Allium 3.7 · Richness 1.4 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Fruity 1.1 · Warm Spice 0.8
What's in it (7)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Thai bird chili, minced
Time & effort: about 10 min (5 min active) · effort: easy
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 62.5 kcal, 1.6 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 14.2 g carbs
How it's cooked (3 steps)
- Dissolve sugar in warm water, then stir in fish sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar to taste.
- Mince garlic and chili finely and add to the sauce.
- Adjust balance of salty-sour-sweet to preference and let flavors meld for a few minutes before serving.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Tam Mak Hoong (Pounded Green Papaya with Padaek and Field Crab) — Lao
- Ulam dengan Budu (Raw Herb Platter with Fermented Anchovy Sauce) — Malaysian
- Crispy Chile-Garlic Chicken Wings — Thai
- Thai Sweet Chili Shrimp Skewers — Thai
- Tom Yum Shrimp Soup — Thai
Keep reading: what funk & ferment, umami, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.