Vietnamese-Inspired Blender Marinade
his marinade is directly inspired by the Vietnamese sauce nuoc cham. Nuoc cham is a sweet, salty, and sour combination of fish sauce, lime juice, chiles, sugar, and garlic. For this quick marinade, I’ve added shallot and cilantro stems, but you could also throw in ginger, lemongrass, or makrut lime leaves, which I often do when I have them on hand.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small shallot
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro stems
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup lime juice (from 6 to 8 limes)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Coarsely chop 1/2 small shallot. Coarsely chop 1/2 bunch cilantro stems until you have 1/2 cup. Add the shallot, cilantro, 4 garlic cloves, 3/4 cup lime juice,1/4 cup fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Blend until smooth. Taste and blend in up to 1 tablespoon more granulated sugar if needed.