...but I gotta tell ya, it makes Thai and Vietnamese food delicious.

Made a batch of Thai Basil Chicken for dinner tonight. Smells a weebit funky while cooking, but holy cow is it tasty when done... Nom!

Agreed. Vietnamese caramelized chicken stinks when cooking but is AWESOME when done.

Try the Philippine version Patis. No anchovy. Milder flavor.

Tonight I made salmon splashed with patis (aka garum) and capers, 325 for 40 minutes. Yum.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
Try the Philippine version Patis. No anchovy. Milder flavor.

Tonight I made salmon splashed with patis (aka garum) and capers, 325 for 40 minutes. Yum.

Will have to try...

I just wish it came in much smallter bottles. i can never use even half of it before it needs to be replaced.

What's the consensus on the better brands of fish sauce (and any to stay away from)? Same question for patis.

I agree...fish sauce smells not so good, but brings incredible flavors to the dish. I won't eat Thai without it.

I tried a recipe for an umami burger that had mayonnaise and fish sauce incorporated into the ground meat. It was pretty damn good!

JP

quote:

Originally posted by cyanide357:
What's the consensus on the better brands of fish sauce (and any to stay away from)? Same question for patis.

We've tried Red Boat brand which is supposed to be considered a premium brand. We didn't feel, since we only use fish sauce in cooked dishes, that it was worth the extra cost compared to our go to Three Crabs brand. Maybe it makes a difference if you use it for cold sauces or salad dressings.

I'm one that can't stand fishy taste and really hate fish sauce. We have Asian restaurants that seem to use it in everything and I just can't eat their food. No fish sauce for me please.

quote:

Originally posted by cyanide357:
What's the consensus on the better brands of fish sauce (and any to stay away from)? Same question for patis.

In my opinion, Red Boat 40 is definitely worth the extra coin, but I can use a bottle before it darkens. If it's stored in the fridge, it keeps just fine for a year or two.

quote:

Originally posted by cyanide357:
What's the consensus on the better brands of fish sauce (and any to stay away from)? Same question for patis.

My wife pretty much only uses 3 crabs fish sauce. It’s a Vietnamese sauce and has a pinkish label with three crabs on it.
In a pinch, she’ll use squid brand fish sauce, but never for kimchee. Only the three crabs for kimchee.

I use it regularly even in Western dishes. A little can add a lot of umami.

The ancient Romans used a similar fish sauce, garum, in almost everything.

I hate a fishy taste as well but that's not what I get when I use it. I won't eat Pho without it. I make a pretty mean green curry coconut milk soup with it too

It's also good with ramen noodle dishes. Oyster sauce is good as well with a little pepper sauce added. Yum!

Jim

When I make dog treats I brush it on the finished biscuits, dog loves them.

Dog Treats

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:

quote:

Originally posted by cyanide357:
What's the consensus on the better brands of fish sauce (and any to stay away from)? Same question for patis.

In my opinion, Red Boat 40 is definitely worth the extra coin, but I can use a bottle before it darkens. If it's stored in the fridge, it keeps just fine for a year or two.

For patis, I don't really know brands. I look for types of fish if listed on ingredients. Avoid anchovies. Mixed fish is fine, but the Romans thought the best was made from mackerel. I agree. Also, absolutely NO SUGAR.

In terms of how long it lasts, I don't know if it ever really goes bad. There is so much salt that bacterial or fungal growth would be difficult. Regardless it is usually so cheap if it is a concern to you just buy a new bottle. It is usually only a couple dollars.

I still have half a case of mackerel patis that I bought years ago. Still good as far as I can tell.

Salt will sometimes come out of solution and form crystals in the bottom. This particularly happens if you refrigerate it because salt has less solubility at lower temperatures. It is not a problem AFAIK.

Near Tan Son Nhut Airbase in RVN there was a Nuoc Mom factory that the guys on post smelled while they cooked that stuff all night. I never cared for the Vietnamese Nuoc Mom (fish sauce) that much but really liked the Nam Pla (fish sauce) in Thailand and put it on just about everything Thai. I believe there were stricter regulations in Thailand about what they put in their fish sauce. Pik Nam Pla has hot Thai peppers added to the sauce and unless you are Thai the wait staff in Thai restaurants will not usually put it on the table unless you ask for it.

I have been on a tour of a fish sauce factory in Phu Quc VN, and I'm proud to say several Vietnamese turned right around and walked out after entering the vat room but I stayed through the whole presentation. The smell was horrible but the tour guide was impressed that an American could stand the stench.



You don't want to know how it's made.

Does Worcestershire sauce count? I like it. Per Wikipedia:

“A fermented fish sauce called garum was a staple of Greco-Roman cuisine and of the Mediterranean economy of the Roman Empire, as the first-century encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder writes in his Historia Naturalis and the fourth/fifth-century Roman culinary text Apicius includes garum in its recipes. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century.

The Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and was the first type of sauce to bear the Worcestershire name…”

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Does Worcestershire sauce count? I like it. Per Wikipedia:

“A fermented fish sauce called garum was a staple of Greco-Roman cuisine and of the Mediterranean economy of the Roman Empire, as the first-century encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder writes in his Historia Naturalis and the fourth/fifth-century Roman culinary text Apicius includes garum in its recipes. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century.

The Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and was the first type of sauce to bear the Worcestershire name…”

Not at all the same. Like the difference between a great marinara sauce and ketchup, or a fine Bordeaux and Welch's grape juice.