Nước Mắm Gừng is a popular dipping sauce in Vietnam. Made from fish sauce, ginger, and lime, it’s numbing, hot, spicy, sweet, and tangy. It’s a must-have for many Vietnamese seafood and poultry dishes.
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What’s Nươc Mắm Gừng?
Ginger (Gừng) is a popular herb in Vietnamese cuisine, known not only as a cooking spice but also as a folk medicine.
Vietnamese culinary philosophy revolves around achieving balance, which is why ingredients with hot or warm “Yang” element are often paired with those having cool or cold “Yin” element.
Given its “yang” nature, ginger is typically paired with foods presenting “yin” nature, such as chicken, duck, and seafood, to create well-balanced dishes.
Nước Mắm Gừng, which translates to “Ginger fish sauce” in English, is a well-known Nước Chấm (Dipping sauce) in Vietnam.
Note: In Vietnam, Nước Chấm literally refers to any kinds of dipping sauce. It’s not necessarily the popular dipping fish sauce that many people are familiar with.
Ingredients for Vietnamese Ginger Fish Sauce
Ginger, chili, and fish sauce are the must-have ingredients for Nước Mắm Gừng. You also need some sugar and lime juice/vinegar to balance the flavor.
The sautéed scallions are optional. They give some nice aroma to the sauce and reduce the strong scent of ginger.
Instructions
In Vietnam, there are two popular ways for preparing Nước Mắm Gừng:
- Pestle and Mortar (home style): Grind peeled ginger, chili, and sugar together. Then, add fish sauce, sautéed scallions (optional), and a bit of water, lime juice. Mix well and serve.
- Food processor (restaurant style) or cutting board & knife: Mince the peeled ginger and chili, then mix with sugar. Next, add fish sauce, sautéed scallions (optional), water and lime juice. Mix well.
Helpful Tips
- Adjust the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice/vinegar to suit your taste.
- Choose young ginger if you are not into the strong scent of ginger, and go for mature ginger if you prefer your fish sauce to have a robust ginger aroma.
Vietnamese recipes that go great with ginger fish sauce:
Other Tasty Dipping Sauces
Note: In Vietnam, Nước Chấm literally refers to any kinds of dipping sauce. It’s not necessarily the popular Nước Chấm dipping fish sauce that many people are familiar with.
(Thai BBQ Dipping Sauce)
Nước Mắm Gừng (Vietnamese Lime Ginger Fish Sauce)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp fish sauce (to your taste)
- 2½ tbsp sugar (to your taste)
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp lime juice (or vinegar)
- 2 slices ginger (15g)
- 1 Thai Bird's eye chili
Instructions
With pestle and mortar (home style):
- Grind ginger, chili, and sugar together.
- Add fish sauce, sautéed scallions (optional), and a bit of water, lime juice. Mix well and serve.
With food processor (restaurant style) or cutting board & knife:
- Mince the ginger and chili, then mix with sugar.
- Add fish sauce, sautéed scallions (optional), adjust with some water and lime juice. Mix well and serve.
Notes
- Choose for young ginger if you prefer a milder scent, and select mature ginger for a stronger ginger aroma in your fish sauce.
