"I've never actually made it before" –Mom

Dad makes the sauces in the family, so it shouldn't surprise me that Mom only has guesstimates. 

"I mean, it looks like carrots, garlic, thai peppers, fish sauce, probably vinegar, lemon, and sugar," Mom said as she examined the jar in the fridge and then proceeds to prattle on about the weather. 

I've know the general gist of how to make Vietnamese dipping fish sauce, but I wanted to learn the correct proportions without ending up with 20 jars of not-quite-right sauce. 

Seminal to Vietnamese cuisine, and Thai as well, Vietnamese dipping fish sauce should carry equal weight to the bottles of salad dressing or jars of tomato sauce in your fridge. It's essentially used as dressing in Southeast Asian cuisines, and better yet, it pretty much NEVER goes bad because the main ingredients are usually those used for preserving and canning.  

Growing up, we always had jars of it in the fridge alongside the ketchup and the A1 sauce. It's simultaneously tangy, garlicky, spicy, and salty—flavors that dance in perfect unison when proportioned correctly. And yes, it's fishy, but not in a nose-pinching manner. Put it this way: a friend of mine who hates seafood still loves dishes that contain Vietnamese dipping fish sauce.

It's the perfect dressing to have around in the summer, particularly because it's the heart and soul of no-heat Southeast Asian dishes, such as summer rolls, bun, larb, etc. 

After more chit chat and lectures from Mom, I finally got Dad's recipe, and yeah, it's amazing.

Prep: 10 minutes Assemble: 5 minutes 

INGREDIENTS (FOR 1 PINT) 

PREPARE

1. Mince garlic and chop Thai peppers.

2. Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl and set aside.

ASSEMBLE

1. Combine minced garlic, shredded carrots, chopped Thai peppers, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, and fish in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. 

STORE

Vietnamese dipping fish sauce is best stored in a glass jar—and to help contain the flavor, we place a napkin over the mouth of the jar and then screw on the lid. It should be refrigerated and will last a year.