Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce (nuoc mam gung)

from Mai Pham, chef/owner of Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento and the author of the just-released "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" ( HarperCollins , 2001).

Intensely gingery and spicy, this sauce goes well with foods that have been simply prepared such as steamed or grilled chicken, meat or seafood. Although this sauce will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, I prefer to make it fresh because the ginger tends to lose its sharp flavor when held overnight.

Drizzle it, along with all the pounded ginger and chiles, over grilled or pan-seared salmon and hot steamed rice for an easy Sunday dinner. If you like the peppery flavor of watercress, serve it on the side, using the sauce as a dressing. It's also delicious over grilled beef or chicken.

1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 Thai bird chiles, or 1 serrano chile, chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons water

Place the garlic, chiles, sugar and ginger in a mortar and pound into a paste. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice and water.
Let sit for 15 minutes before using.

Yields about 1 cup.

PER TABLESPOON: 15 calories, 1 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 0 fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 340 mg sodium, 0 fiber.