What do you look for when shopping for "fish sauce"- are there certain ingredients in it to look for?!
Answers: Shopping for fish sauce is hard- I can't always read the labels (in chinese or thai) and I don't know what makes a good ingredient list. Are there any specific things to "look" for or l"ook out" for?
Fish sauce is made commercially in Thailand as Nam Pla, and Nuoc mam in Vietnam. I prefer Nuoc mam, much more intense and aromatic. It may be hard to get it in some cities in USA. Don't get the ones made in Malaysia; they are imitations and don't taste so good. Many GIs in Vietnam could not stand the smell of Nuoc mam, unless they were in the Special Forces who lived closely with the Montagnards and native people, and feasted on dogmeat, among other things. I love Nuoc mam and a lady in Saigon makes it for me specially. It is actually fermented fish like anchovies. Before I eat in a Vietnamese restaurant outside Vietnam, i always check if tyhey have Nuoc mam. If the answer is NO, I go elsewhere. Home made ones are the best! It was the Vietcong's secret weapon. Enjoy! {:-)
it does not matter all are same ingredient except for the bottle and the label, but I would recommend the one with the squid picture label.
I think all fish sauce are the same as they all came from one main ingredient, FISH!
There will be a pcture of a fish on it... The colour of fish sauce is smiliar to tea...
The link below shows an image of 6 different types of Fish Sauce. The kind that I always use is the second one to the right, one with 3 crabs on the label. When it comes to taste it is just right for me, others have different preferences but I would always prefer that one over all of them.
You would have to try them out one by and and see what you like best. Reading the ingredients will only give you the basic information but when it comes to taste you'll have to test it out yourself.
http://www.panix.com/~clay/cookbook/imag...
