Nuoc Cham Is The Flavorful Steak Marinade You Need To Start Using

If you've never tried it before, nuoc cham is a classic Vietnamese condiment with a fish sauce base. That fish sauce funk gets complexified with a dimensional lineup of sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and Thai or birds eye chiles. The result is a versatile sweet-salty-sour sauce with subtle heat from the chiles and garlic. When used as a marinade, that bold umami fish sauce intermingles with the ultra-savory flavor of the meat for a when-worlds-collide duo that's greater (and richer) than the sum of its parts. What we mean is, it's time to use this unique dressing as a showstopping marinade for your next steak.

Nuoc cham is a substantially thinner condiment than many of the thick, creamy dressings American foodies might be used to. Due to its bold, flavorful ingredients, nuoc cham gets thinned with water to temper and balance the taste, resulting in a more liquid dipping sauce than, say, luscious aioli. But, this thinness is also part of what makes nuoc cham such an ideal steak marinade.

You can make your own homemade nuoc cham sauce and store it in a resealable container in the fridge for use in future recipes, where it'll keep for up to two weeks. Or, use bottled nuoc cham, which can be purchased from most pan-Asian supermarkets or from a variety of online retailers. Blue Dragon brand is widely available, and a bottle runs for $9.99 via Amazon.

To give your next steak a Vietnamese-inspired upgrade, simply transfer your raw steak into a resealable plastic bag, cover it in nuoc cham, then seal and shake the bag to thoroughly coat the meat in the sauce. For maximum flavor infusion, allow the steak to marinate in the fridge for at least four hours. If you're working with a thicker cut like top sirloin, leave it for closer to eight hours or overnight. Pro tip: To help the meat soak up more of the marinade, prick its surface all over with the tines of a fork before placing it in the bag. From there, you can cook your steak using any preparation method you prefer, like grilling, pan-searing, or oven baking.

To complete the meal, serve your flavorful marinated steak with napa cabbage slaw and a lime wedge. If you have any leftovers, you can slice 'em into strips the next day and assemble a knockout steak banh mi sandwich with grated lemongrass, shredded daikon radish, and cucumber on a toothy baguette. You could also use your nuoc cham marinated steak to make a perfect stir-fry with sliced bell peppers and a side of jasmine rice. Or, use it in this steak and vermicelli noodle bowl with nuoc cham, pickled carrots, chopped lemongrass, Persian cucumbers, and mint.

And if that's left you hankering after more flavor hits, we've got a few more steak marinating tips here, all desligned to nail a top-notch beefy bite.