Nước Mắm (fish sauce) Recipe

My friend Hanh taught me how to make this sauce at her house in Portland, Oregon during graduate school. We made this along with about 250 egg rolls. Nước Mắm is a Vietnamese condiment that is easy to prepare but you may want to open the windows in the kitchen before you begin to cook it as it emits a potent aroma. The end result, however, is a golden, briny sauce that is the perfect companion to the Egg Roll recipe that I will be posting this week.

Ingredients:
1 cup "Squid" brand fish sauce (see photo below)
2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, diced
6-8 pickled leeks or scallions, chopped
Preparation:

1. In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the fish sauce, water, vinegar, and sugar.
2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Lightly boil the mixture for about ten minutes, skimming off and discarding any bubbles as it cooks.
4. Let cool and then pour into a jar and refrigerate. It will last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
   
5. When you are ready to use this sauce, add the garlic and leeks (or scallions) and serve with egg rolls.
   

Fish Sauce

Vietnam