Vegan Fish Sauce Recipe

Often times, my vegan friends ask me about vegan option of Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Spring Rolls). I said, it's easy to make them but the dipping sauce is not vegan. Traditionally, Nước Chấm is made with fish sauce that has been fermenting for 2 years. Because the source of fish is unknown, there might be trace of shrimps in the sauce. So, to be on the safe side, let's make a vegan fish sauce.

First of all, you have to buy Pineapple Fish Flavored Sauce. I bought mine at San San Tofu in Houston Asiatown (west of Beltway). If you don't have vegan fish sauce, just use the regular fish sauce on the market. Don't drink the fish sauce from the bottle. It's very salty.

Fresh Fish Sauce Made Fresh from My Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Fish Sauce of your choice
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 7 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic

Directions

1. Heat water in microwave for 1 minute. Combine warm water with sugar in a bowl. Stir until sugar dissolved.
2. Set the liquid aside to let it cool.
3. Add fish sauce and minced garlic to the mixture.
4. Stir well.
5. If you want it spicy, slice a fresh chili pepper and put them in the liquid mixture including the seeds. Or, you can add a tsp of chili sauce in the mixture.
6. You can garnish it with strings of shredded carrots.

Different ways to add spiciness to this dipping sauce 

"This Vietnamese sauce is usually served with spring rolls (both fresh and fried), Vietnamese grilled meats like Vietnamese sausages (nem nướng) and grilled lemongrass pork chops (thit heo nuong xa), and vermicelli noodle bowls." (Source)