Fish sauce or “nam pla” in Thai is one of the best ingredients in Cooking. As the name sounds, it is rich, translucent reddish-golden brown colour that cooks never fail to try while preparing some delicious Thai dishes. It is often used to marinate the fish and meat and is used as a condiment. Well, the good news is you no more have to travel to Thailand to get the authentic Thai flavour. Fish sauce- as perfect condiment used as the mixture of fresh-cut chillies and lime juice. Upon visiting any Thai food restaurant near Mornington, you will find this sauce on tables.

So, what is fish sauce is?

Good fish sauce is made from a mixture of fish and salt that has been allowed for fermentation for 1 year to 18 months. The Anchovies are used typically, whereas other fish sauces are made of other fish types of squid. The basic ingredients of a good fish sauce are fish, salt and water. Sometimes the sugar can be added, if necessary.

How the fish sauce is made?

To develop pleasant, fragrant aroma and taste, the fish must be very fresh. Soon after catching the fish, the fish must be rinsed, drained and then mixed with sea salt, where two to three parts fish one part is salt by weight. They are filled into large earthenware jars, lined on the bottom with a layer of salt and topped with a layer of salt.

The jars are kept covered and left in a sunny location for the span mentioned above. The jars are uncovered time-to-time to let the air out and fish to be exposed to direct sunshine, which helps to melt the fish and turn them into the fluid. With this periodic sunning, high-quality fish sauce is produced, while giving it a clear and fragrant aroma with reddish brown colour.

But, where to buy fish sauce?

These days, most supermarkets sell fish sauce, but you will find a good selection fish sauces at nearly in any Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food market. For your food restaurant business, look for the fish sauce bottle and read the labels for ingredients. Moreover, you can also order nam pla online.

What if you needed a vegetarian substitute?

Vegetarian fish sauce does exist, which is made of seaweed instead of fish. For those who are concerned about sodium intake, may get into the dilemma whether to use fish sauce or not. However, there is nothing to worry if you find an excessive amount of fish sauce while measuring to serve the amount printed on the label. Just remember, this amount will be distributed throughout the dish you will be cooking, and not to consume in one sitting. If you want to cut back, add only a portion of the fish sauce in the recipe and the remaining portion with the sea salt.

How professionals avoid fishy smell?

There is nothing to deny that fish sauce smells fishy. To counteracting this odour, you can add lime juice and aroma of fish sauce will become a normal part of each cooking session.

However, good quality fish sauce works wonders in Thai food, and it is good for you. It is high in protein and contains the amino acid that the body requires for growth and regeneration. At Uthong Thai Restaurant, we use fish and necessary ingredients to bring out the perfect aroma and taste. Reach us at https://www.uthongthairestaurant.com.au/ for booking.