A plate of crystal dumplings falls flat without the right dipping sauce. Hue dining eschews the heavy garlic, lime-forward, heavily diluted fish sauces common in Southern Vietnamese cooking. Imperial dumpling sauce is austere, salty, and sharp, keeping the primary focus on the quality of the aged fish sauce.
Use high-protein fish sauce containing at least 40°N nitrogen content. In a small bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of fine white sugar into 3 tablespoons of warm filtered water. Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar.
Instead of mincing garlic, simply slice fresh red bird’s eye chilies into paper-thin coins and float them on top. For the absolute purist Hue experience, take 2 tablespoons of the reduced savory oil directly from the pan where the shrimp and pork were braised and whisk it straight into the dipping sauce. The rendered pork fat and annatto oil emulsify into the amber liquid, ensuring every dip coats the slick, glassy exterior of the dumpling.
