🧄 Sauce Ingredients
Like in many Vietnamese dishes, the sauce is a key component in Bánh tráng cuốn. It’s made with a base of tamarind juice, adding tanginess, fish sauce for a pungent and savory flavor, and sugar to balance the tanginess. On top of that, a trio of aromatics – garlic, lemongrass, and chili – infuse the sauce with a lemony aroma and a hint of heat. Lovers of the sweet and salty combo, you’re in for a treat!
Tamarind
Tamarind makes the base of the sauce, giving it a fruity and tangy flavor. Tamarind comes in many different forms. For this recipe, you want to use tamarind paste (seedless or not, it doesn’t really matter).
Not familiar with tamarind? I have written a full article on what is tamarind and how to use it. Feel free to check it out!
Garlic, lemongrass, and chili
To infuse the dipping sauce with pungent, citrusy, and spicy notes.
Note: Frozen chopped lemongrass works great here and allows you to save time so do not hesitate to use that.
Vegan fish sauce
Vegan fish sauce adds umami and saltiness to the sauce. Use homemade vegan fish sauce or store-bought vegan fish sauce.
Substitute: It’s difficult to recommend a good substitute for fish sauce as it has a very unique taste. If you really cannot find vegan fish sauce, a simple alternative would be soy sauce.
Sugar
Like most Vietnamese dipping sauces, the tamarind sauce is both sweet and salty. I went with regular granulated sugar, but coconut sugar, maple syrup, or agave syrup will work as well.