Vietnamese Inspired Nuoc Cham Grilled Cheese

Name: Vietnamese Inspired Nuoc Cham Grilled Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: <b>Sauce ingredients</b>2 tbsp mayo; 2 tsp Fish sauce (see tips); 2 tsp fresh lime juice (about ½ lime); 1 tsp sugar; ½ red thai chili finely chopped; 1 clove of minced garlic; <b>Sandwich ingredients</b>4 Slices of Sourdough Bread; 2 slices https://www.tillamook.com/products/cheese/sharp-cheddar-sliced; 2 Slices https://www.tillamook.com/products/cheese/provolone-sliced; 2 Slices https://www.tillamook.com/products/cheese/muenster; 2 tbsp https://www.tillamook.com/products/butter/extra-creamy-salted-butter; 1 whole clove of garlic (Don’t mince this one); 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro

By: Chef Tyler

Nuoc Cham is a delicious seasoned Vietnamese fish sauce. When adapted into a sauce these flavors work well to balance out the deep fatty flavors in the butter, cheese, and mayo. Adding in the fresh garlic and cilantro at the end make a grilled cheese sandwich that's not only comforting but also fresh!

15MINserves 2

Ingredients

Sauce ingredients

2 tbsp mayo
2 tsp Fish sauce (see tips)
2 tsp fresh lime juice (about ½ lime)
1 tsp sugar
½ red thai chili finely chopped
1 clove of minced garlic

Sandwich ingredients

4 Slices of Sourdough Bread
2 slices Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices
2 Slices Tillamook Provolone Cheese Slices
2 Slices Tillamook Muenster Cheese Slices
2 tbsp Tillamook Extra Creamy Salted Butter
1 whole clove of garlic (Don’t mince this one)
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro

Make sauce by combining the mayo, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, Thai chili and minced garlic.
Use a spoon to spread this sauce on the inside of both pieces of bread. Add one slice of each of the cheeses and then toast each sandwich in 1 tbsp of butter.
Once the sandwich has finished toasting, rub a raw clove of garlic on the outside of the sandwich. You will see the clove slowly shrinking as it grates onto the toasted bread. A little goes a long way and I recommend only using ¼ - ½ of the clove per sandwich depending on how much you like garlic.
Then open the sandwich and add 1 tbsp worth of chopped cilantro to each. We add the cilantro at the end to preserve its fresh flavor! Enjoy.
- Chef Tyler recommends Red Boat 40°N fish sauce for this recipe because it has a more concentrated flavor than other fish sauces, meaning we can add a small amount and still get the taste of fish sauce in the final sandwich.