Smoky and Crunchy Peas With Creamy Nuoc Cham

Name: Smoky and Crunchy Peas With Creamy Nuoc Cham
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: ⅔ cup raw cashews; 1 red Fresno chile, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice; 1 Tbsp. fish sauce; 2 tsp. granulated sugar; Kosher salt; 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 lb. snow peas and/or sugar snap peas, trimmed, some sliced some left whole; 1 cup pea shoots (tendrils); Lime wedges (for serving)

By Andy Baraghani

March 15, 2022

Smoky and crunchy snap peas with creamy nuoc cham sauce

Photograph by Graydon Herriott, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk.

No offense to the crunchy peas, but this recipe is all about the nuoc cham. A dipping sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, chile, garlic, and sugar, it varies across Vietnam; some are sweeter, some more savory. This one is less potent than the average and creamy thanks to toasted, buttery cashews. It clings to whatever you’re dressing. Here that’s snow peas, but you can also use it on salads, rice, eggs, or simple stir-fried greens.