Important takeaway: Choose fish sauce with at least 2 grams of protein per tablespoon. 3. Choose one that's not too cheap. Did you know that most of the popular TV shows and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading. Most importantly, it’s free with your Markham Public Library card.

We also use it as a condiment. Often in Thailand you’ll find prik nam pla on the table, which is a simple combination of fish sauce and chilies (and sometimes lime juice and garlic) used to add an extra boost of seasoning to anything that might need it, much in the same way salt and pepper are used in the West. How is Fish Sauce Made? It does contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein which is a flavour enhancer, not unlike MSG, so it breaks my "simple ingredient list" rule. But it still tastes good so I make an exception for it. Good news: there aren't a whole bunch of different types of fish sauce to choose from, unlike soy sauce where dark soy, light soy, sweet soy sauces and more can trip you up. There is mainly just one type (yes, "mainly." See which to avoid below). Although I love Vietnamese food, I have to admit to not knowing about the cult status of the famed Red Boat fish sauce, but I'm glad that I do now! This cookbook is also a very effective sales strategy, as I now want to try their fish sauce as well as their salt and peppercorns. More than that, though, the cookbook is also a family history, a treatise on how fish sauce is, and should be, made, and an explanation of the importance of sustainability in production. I really appreciate a cookbook that's inclusive and strives to present a well-rounded worldview of the cuisine it discusses. And yes, you CAN use fish sauce outside of Asian cuisine! Remember it's just a source of salty and savory taste. Richer foods are great for experimenting as the fish flavour won't be too obvious: try it in stews, chili, bolognese sauce, braised meats, pasta sauces, or meatloaf! Prik nam pla is a great way to use fish sauce. It's a popular tableside fish sauce condiment that you can use to boost the flavour of any dish.

Most Thai people keep fish sauce out at room temperature right by the stove because we use it for everything and it needs to be at arm's reach. But we also go through it fast. You can also use fish sauce from different countries interchangeably, i.e. you can use Vietnamese fish sauce in Thai cooking and vice versa. BUT there is a huge range of quality, so your main concern is making sure you choose a good one. Here's how: 1. Choose one with a simple ingredient list. Anything that is not a clear brown liquid! If you see "fish sauce" that is a murky, brownish-grey liquid, that is a different thing altogether and is NOT what you want unless you are making specific dishes that call for it. It's an unfiltered fish sauce with a much more pungent flavour.

You can also use it as a tableside condiment, adding it to anything that feels a little bland. For this, I recommend making the most popular Thai condiment, prik nam pla, simply by combining fish sauce with chopped fresh chilies and a squeeze of lime juice. (Ratios do not need to be exact, but you can start with 3 parts fish sauce to 1 part lime juice.) Add some chopped garlic or shallots if you'd like, then treat it like you would tabasco, worcestershire sauce, or salt and pepper! But will it make my food taste fishy? Lovely cookbook with varied recipes! I've already made a couple of dishes -- so good! Can't wait to get my physical copy! I loved this cookbook as much for the human story as for the recipes. Author Cuong Pham's tale of his escape from war torn Vietnam in 1979 and arriving in the United States nine months later, aged just twenty, is absolutely gripping. He took a degree and then got a job with Steve Jobs at a small computer company called Apple. This section of his story is surely worth an entire book in it's own right as his five siblings and other family members were also escaping from Vietnam to join him at this time, with their mother only able to join them in 1990. One of the secrets to their fish sauce, which is why it isn’t as “fishy” as other fish sauces, is that the anchovies are salted on the boat, right after they’re caught, so they stay fresh. Other fish sauce makers may salt the fish a few days later, when the fish are not exactly at their prime. And we all know that fresh fish doesn’t get any better the longer it sits. The book is very much geared to the US market in the use of food language and ingredients such as tapioca flour, baking soda, cilantro, kosher salt, zucchini, eggplant and scallion. Most are quite widely known in the UK though and easily found/understood if not immediately obvious. Less hard to know what they are or to source are things like perilla, rau ram, taro, wood ear mushrooms, bitter melons and morning glory (rau muong) - or so I thought until I popped into a local Asian specialist food store the other day and found bitter melons and morning glory. How exciting - my repertoire of recipes I can try from this book has now increased and I look forward to using the book a lot.

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PRO TIP: If you're not a regular user, look for a small bottle of fish sauce so it won't have time to get old. At the Asian market, look on the top shelf as smaller bottles are often hidden there. Even my parents living in Thailand only buy small bottles after all of us left home and their usage rate slowed down. How to Use Fish Sauce Mix the Red Boat fish sauce with a little sugar, fresh red chilli and lime juice to make Nuoc Cham, a popular Vietnamese dipping sauce. Alternatively, add the umami sauce to stir-fries and Pad Thai, drizzle over roasted salmon, or toss through wok-fried green vegetables.

Boats and historical events are what make me love reading. Could you please share the sequel books of your series? MEGACHEF. Megachef fish sauce has recently surged in popularity in Thailand, branding itself as more premium, but still affordable enough for everyday use. It has a great flavour and tastes more rich and flavourful than Squid.

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From there, the salt draws liquid from the fish, and naturally existing enzymes allow the fermentation process to begin. It ferments for 12 to 24 months, and the resulting liquid is your " first-press", purest, extra-virgin fish sauce.

To show us the difference in the sauce over the course of the year it takes to ferment and age, Cuong drained off fish sauce from several different barrels, allowing us to see and taste the difference between sauce aged for 3, 6, 9 months, as well as fish sauce aged for 12 months, when it’s done and bottled. He pointed out the three-month aged sauce was lighter in color and had a rougher taste when we dipped our spoons into it, than the sauces that had been aged longer. Tasting them all, it was remarkable how the longer aging gave the sauce a substantially deeper flavor. The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook written by Cuong Pham with Tien Nguyen and Diep Tran with photos by Oriana Koren is a vibrant, informative, and fascinating collection of delicious recipes. I loved learning about Vietnam’s culture and cuisine, the author’s life, as well as general cooking practices. The book features interesting and often unique recipes for dishes including stews, soups, sandwiches, and drinks. Who knew that Red Boat Fish Sauce is so versatile! The author’s story about his family’s emigration to the United States is both interesting and touching, as well as his discussions of his mother’s cooking. Thankfully this author has a good sense of taste and wanted to produce high quality, not high margin, fish sauce. I have a bottle of Red Boat in my refrigerator as well as a pouch of the Red Boat Salt. Both are excellent and a little goes a long ways! I love this cookbook! It is a fascinating and unique blend of food, culture, and history. I particularly love the stories: from Pham’s history to the personal family anecdotes, the fish sauce making process, and even the anchovy catching process! Pham teaches us so much about Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and general cookery.Basically, fish sauce is the liquid that results from the fermentation of small fish (most commonly anchovies) and salt. The process is rather simple: put a bunch of anchovies and salt together in a big tank and let it do its natural thing. Megachef is fermented for 2 years, which I believe is longer than many others. The saltiness feels a little less jarring than Squid, so this is a good choice if you want to use it as a tableside condiment. Also as the fish sauce ages, the color gets progressively deeper. Interesting, Cuong had a plate of mango slices alongside the bowls of sauce. In addition to being amazing mangoes – the fruit in Vietnam was pretty phenomenal – mangoes are the perfect palate cleanser for the salty sauce. Who knew?