By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 1
166 cal · 10 min
Vietnamese Sweet-Salty-Spicy Fruit Dip
Recipe GLPR3e238a2e8a83b4
A bright and balanced Vietnamese dipping sauce that combines the sweetness of sugar, the savory umami of fish sauce, and the heat of fresh chili. This three-ingredient condiment is perfect for fresh fruit, vegetables, or as a table sauce for Southeast Asian dishes. The flavors develop as the ingredients meld together, creating a complex taste profile that enhances any dish.
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 small fresh chili, sliced thinly
Directions
Combine the granulated sugar and fish sauce in a small bowl, stirring together until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture becomes uniform.
Add the thinly sliced fresh chili to the bowl and stir well to distribute the heat throughout the sauce.
Let the dip sit for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld and develop. Stir again before serving.
Taste and adjust the balance of sweet, salty, and spicy to your preference by adding more sugar for sweetness, fish sauce for saltiness, or chili for heat.
Serve immediately with fresh fruit, vegetables, or alongside your favorite Southeast Asian dishes.
Comments
This three-ingredient dip is genuinely fast and costs under $2 total—sugar and chili pepper are pantry staples at any Charlotte grocer, and fish sauce lives at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, and Walmart in the Asian aisle, usually $3–4 a bottle. The 10-minute time is honest; you are whisking, not cooking. The real question is household fit: one serving means this is a small-batch condiment or a personal snack, not a dish that feeds a family dinner, so scale the recipe up mentally if you are feeding more. Fish sauce smells pungent but mellows into umami when mixed with sugar and heat; if your household has not eaten Vietnamese food before, taste before committing the fruit platter to it.
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