The market · Seasonings and ferments · Southeast Asia
Fish sauce
Anchovies salted and left to ferment for a year or more, then pressed — pure salt and savoury depth.
funky · salty · savoury
What to do with it
Kenji Hara's Sourdough, 100% ryeFish sauce would give it depthIbu Sari's Beef rendangFish sauce would give it depthAna Etxarri's ChawanmushiFish sauce would season itRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleFish sauce would give it depth
ThaiTom yumA hot and sour broth scented with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf, sharpened with lime and fish sauce — usually with prawns.No one here has made it yet
ThaiSom tamShredded green papaya pounded with chilli, garlic, lime, fish sauce and palm sugar, with tomatoes, long beans and peanuts.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad kaphraoMinced pork or chicken stir-fried hard with garlic, bird's eye chilli and holy basil, over rice with a crisp fried egg.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yetThaiKhao soiEgg noodles in a coconut curry broth with chicken or beef, under a tangle of crisp fried noodles, with pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime on the side.No one here has made it yetThaiLarbMinced meat cooked briefly and dressed warm with lime, fish sauce, chilli and toasted ground rice, with shallot, mint and coriander.No one here has made it yetThaiKhua klingMinced meat dry-fried in a fierce southern curry paste until every crumb is coated, with shredded lime leaf — no coconut and no sauce.No one here has made it yetThaiMassaman curryA rich, mild coconut curry fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and clove, with beef or chicken, potatoes and peanuts, sweet and sour with palm sugar and tamarind.No one here has made it yet
VietnamesePhởFlat rice noodles in a clear, spiced beef broth, with thin slices of beef and a handful of herbs.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseBún chảGrilled pork patties and pork belly in a warm, sweet-sour fish sauce dressing, with cold rice noodles and herbs.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseGỏi cuốnRice paper wrapped round prawns, pork, rice noodles, lettuce and herbs, eaten fresh with a dipping sauce.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseThịt khoPork belly and hard-boiled eggs braised in fish sauce, dark caramel and coconut water until glossy and brown.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseNước chấmFish sauce thinned with water, sharpened with lime, sweetened with sugar, with garlic and chilli floating on top.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBún bò HuếThick, round rice noodles in a beef and pork broth sharp with lemongrass, deepened with fermented shrimp paste and reddened with chilli oil.No one here has made it yetVietnameseCao lầuFirm, yellowish noodles with slices of soy-braised pork, crisp squares of fried noodle dough and herbs, in just a spoonful of rich broth.No one here has made it yetVietnameseCơm tấmBroken rice with a grilled lemongrass pork chop, shredded pork skin, a slice of steamed egg and pork loaf, pickles and nước chấm.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBánh xèoA thin, crisp pancake of rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric, folded round pork, prawns and bean sprouts, wrapped in leaves and herbs and dipped in nước chấm.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSinigangA sour soup of pork, prawns or fish with vegetables, soured most often with tamarind.No one here has made it yetTeochewTeochew beef hotpotVery fresh beef, cut to order by the part, dipped for seconds in a clear broth and eaten with shacha sauce.No one here has made it yetTeochewTeochew fish ballsWhite, bouncy balls of fish paste beaten by hand, cooked in simmering water and served in clear soup or with noodles.No one here has made it yetTeochewFried carrot cakeSteamed white radish and rice-flour cake, cut into cubes and fried with egg, garlic and preserved radish — 'white', or 'black' with sweet soy.No one here has made it yetFujianOyster omeletteSmall oysters fried in a sweet potato starch batter with eggs — crisp in places, soft and gooey in others.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Thai nam pla
- The everyday one for Thai cooking.
- Vietnamese nước mắm
- Often lighter; the first pressing is prized.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Southeast Asian grocers. Look for just anchovy, salt and maybe sugar on the label.
- A little history
- Garum, the fermented fish sauce of ancient Rome, was made much the same way.
- Worth knowing
- It smells fierce from the bottle and vanishes into a dish — add it, then taste before adding salt.
Kitchens that keep it in
ThailandThaiA cooking of balance, tasted and adjusted at every step: sour, sweet, salty and hot in the same mouthful, sharpened with herbs.11 classicsVietnamVietnameseClear broths, fish sauce and a plate of fresh herbs: a cooking of contrasts — hot and cool, soft and crisp — finished by each person at the table.11 classicsChaoshan, the far east of Guangdong, southern ChinaTeochewThe cooking of Chaozhou and Shantou on the coast of eastern Guangdong: seafood, clear broths and slow master-stock braises, each dish with its own little dip.7 classicsFujian province, south-eastern ChinaFujianThe cooking of China's south-eastern coast: clear soups, seafood, the sweet-sour red of fermented rice lees, and the street food the Hokkien carried across Asia.9 classics