Comments on: A Sauce of Golden Glory: Nuoc Cham

By: Tigers & Strawberries » From Garden to Table: Vietnamese Style Grilled Beef and Pork in a Bowl

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:13:07 +0000

[...] you need to make nuac cham–a spicy, fragrant Vietnamese sauce that is like one of the best salad dressings in the world. [...]

By: http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/04/a-sauce-of-golden-glory-nuoc-cham/

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:23:38 +0000

[...] http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2007/04/04/a-sauce-of-golden-glory-nuoc-cham/ [...]

By: Vietnamese Food - Vietnamese Food » Addicted to Pho?

Vietnamese Food - Vietnamese Food » Addicted to Pho? — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:53:56 +0000

[...] Vietnamese food, for all that I have seldom cooked it in the past, may become my newest culinary obsession. Why? Because the flavors are fresh, delicate and delightful. Like Thai and Chinese foods, Vietnamese foods are an exercise in … — more — [...]

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:33:48 +0000

Alexis–yes, onions are always used in vegetable stocks. Onions or scallions for Asian stocks, though. I will do some research and see what I can come up with in the vegetable stock department for you.

Nex0s–Diane answered you absolutely correctly. Thai Green Papaya salad is dressed with something that contains the exact ingredients of nuac cham. In Vietnam, it probably is dressed with a variant of nuac cham itself.

And the way you can tell if a papaya is green in the US (aside from buying one from a SE Asian market where it is labeled as such) is that if it is as hard as rock and would cause bodily harm to a person if you were to bean them in the head with it–it is probably green.

Diane–I agree. It is best made fresh.

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:53:29 +0000

Nex0s – yes, green papaya salad has fish sauce on it – it typically has all the ingredients listed in nuoc cham.

Green papaya is the same as regular papaya, just used when unripe. When it ripens it turns yellow and is eaten as a fruit. When unripe (green) it is eaten as a vegetable in Thailand, Vietnam and other places in SE Asia. It is often hard to find truly green papayas here in the US unless you shop at SE Asian markets.

I like green papaya salad, but find it is best eaten fresh, so prefer to make it at home rather than eat it out. At a good restaurant they will make it fresh, but in some others it might be “pre mixed” and gets a little tired.