Makes 1 1/2 cups or enough to serve 6
In "Noodles Every Day," author Corinne Trang writes that this traditional Vietnamese condiment can be sprinkled on grilled meat set on a salad of rice noodles with shredded vegetables. Look for fish sauce that is light to medium gold, she says. If it is dark like soy sauce or slightly crystallized - or has sat on your pantry shelf for years - it's probably too old. Trang says that finely chopping the garlic and chili pepper will make the sauce spicier.
| 1/2 | cup fish sauce |
| 1/2 | cup sugar |
| 1/2 | cup fresh lime or lemon juice (about 6 limes or 4 lemons) |
| 1 | large clove garlic, thinly sliced |
| 1 | fresh red Thai chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped |
2. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Set aside to cool.
3. Stir in the lime or lemon juice, garlic, and chili pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Adapted from "Noodles Every Day"
