Name: Dipping Sauces for Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Prep time: 24 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons fish sauce; juice of 1 lime; 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste; 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger; 1/2 teaspoon thinly sliced fresh Thai chiles; 1/3 cup water; Salt and pepper, to taste; 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 3 tablespoons pork broth; 1 tablespoon peanut butter; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon sugar; chopped peanuts, optional

Dipping Sauces for Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Photo by Betty | le jus d'orange

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes

I've included two popular dipping sauces here: fish sauce-based sauce and a hoisin peanut sauce. Like the spring rolls, these dipping sauces are highly customizable according to taste and restaurants will often have their own signature sauce. —Betty

Prep time 24 hours 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

For the fish sauce dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
¹/₂ tablespoon minced ginger
¹/₂ teaspoon thinly sliced fresh Thai chiles
¹/₃ cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste

In This Recipe

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Directions

For the fish sauce dipping sauce:
Mix together all of the ingredients and refrigerate. Store for 1 day prior to serving in order to let the chile flavor infuse.

For the hoisin peanut dipping sauce:
Whisk together the hoisin, pork broth, and peanut butter.
In a small fry pan, heat the garlic and oil and sautée until fragrant. Add the hoisin sauce mixture and the sugar, then simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until thick. Let cool.
Top with peanuts, if desired.

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Marilynannette Keen
Fernando @ Eating With Your Hands
Bella B
platedpalate
Betty

Review

betty is a food blogger and wedding photographer based in Boston, MA.

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7 Reviews

Radiodugger April 12, 2016

OK, you made Nước chấm. One thing I find left out most often is gỏi cà rốt, or Carrot Salad. A tablespoon is usually added undrained just before serving. Here is a simple recipe:

Carrot Salad

2 Cups Water
4 Tablespoons White Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 to 5 Carrots

In a small bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir
until dissolved.

Peel carrots and shred finely.

Pour liquid over carrots, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Doug

Radiodugger April 12, 2016

The fish sauce-based is actually called Nước chấm. Ginger is not usually added. I make mine with 4 tablesp of THIS brand fish sauce:

http://importfood.com/satc2401.html

Then I add 4 tablesp sugar, 4 tablesp white vinegar, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, and a bit of crushed red pepper. I dilute it with about a cup of water. It keeps a month, but never lasts that long! LOL!

-Doug

platedpalate March 7, 2018

Adding ginger would make it nước mắm gừng, which is eaten with certain dishes such as duck rice porridge. For me, it's easiest to make the classic sauce based on proportions, which can easily be scaled up or down:

1 part lime juice*
1 part sugar
1 part hot water + 3 parts room temp water
1 part nước mắm
garlic, finely minced
chili peppers, finely chopped
*If using white vinegar, reduce to 1/2 part.

https://www.platedpalate.com/how-to-make-nuoc-mam-sauce/

Marilynannette K. August 6, 2015

Is there any way to make these ahead of time and not have them dry out? I would love to take them for lunch and have them still taste as fresh as when I first make them.

Author Comment

Betty August 6, 2015

Are you talking about the spring rolls or dipping sauces? The sauces you can definitely make ahead of time. The spring rolls you can too - of course, fresh is best, but you can make them and then wrap them with plastic wrap between the rolls to prevent drying out as well as sticking. Hope that helps!

Fernando @. August 5, 2015

Love the composition, and it looks soooo yummy!

Bella B. August 4, 2015

Peanut dipping sauce is my favourite. I will have to try this recipe.

http://xoxobella.com

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Dipping Sauces for Vietnamese Spring Rolls