Vietnamese Tamarind-Ginger Sauce (Nước Mắm Me)

There are many simple sauces in the Vietnamese kitchen, not just the ubiquitous nuoc cham dipping sauce made with lime, fish sauce, sugar and chilies. This one has an unusual twang and slight thickness due to its source of tartness -- tamarind liquid. It's the thick liquid rendered from soaking and straining tamarind pulp. Make it with my tamarind liquid recipe for incredible Southeast and South Asian food. I always keep some in the freezer for Indian chutney, a Viet bouillabaisse-like soup, tangy stir-fries, Thai curries, and this Vietnamese dipping sauce. Resist using syrupy tamarind concentrate, like Tamicon; its dull flavor won't work here.

Called Nước Mắm Me, literally "Tamarind Fish Sauce", this sauce is splendid with simple grilled seafood or boiled vegetables. You can keep it for days in the fridge because Tamarind Liquid is naturally tart and doesn't change its flavor that much under refrigerated conditions. For instance, my Indian tamarind-date chutney keeps for a month in the fridge and nearly forever in the freezer. This sauce won't keep that long but it's not something you need to make and eat ASAP.

Partially cooked sauce

Among the things that sets this sauce apart from others in the Vietnamese repertoire is the brief saute that happens at the front end to gently fry the aromatics. It doesn't take long but during that cooking, the ginger and garlic lose their raw edge to meld beautifully with the tamarind. This cooking step imparts greater depth to the sauce. Watch the pan carefully to avoid burning the aromatics.

Make it vegan if you like

Fish sauce is the conventional condiment used to impart savory depth to the tamarind-ginger dipping sauce. Because tamarind is dark in flavor and earthy tasting, you can easily use soy sauce instead to craft a vegan version of the Nước Mắm Me. However, too much soy sauce overwhelm the sauce so don't use more than what's called for in the recipe; add salt if you need extra oomph at the end. Soy sauce as a fish sauce substitute has its limits.

Additionally, too much soy sauce will darken the sauce too much. Below, the sauce on the left was made with fish sauce. The one on the right was prepared with soy sauce. The sparkly shimmery quality on top is simply the oil.

What to pair with this dipping sauce

During summer, I make this sauce for grilled seafood, especially a one-dish meal of grilled fish rice paper rolls. The sauce is perfect for drizzling on or dipping grilled vegetables into. You can also use it for boiled or steamed vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, and broccoli.