Fish sauce (the condiment) Discuss please

[NMDemDist2]

I got some ("Purfina Patis" from the Phillipines) since one of the folks around here lists it in almost every asian recipe they post and since I bought a cheap wok, it seemed like I should have some

I have googled it and read articles that sang it's praises for everything from Ceasar salad to dipping sauces, marinades to pasta sauces

http://chef2chef.net/news/foodservice/Editorial-Chefs_Corner/Fish_Sauce_Adds_Distinction_To_Many_Cuisines.htm

What are your experiences (if any) with the wicked smelling stuff? after the article I am definately gonna sprinkle it on something soon, but GEEZ, that smell!

[Warpy]

1. Use a light touch, especially at first

Do a lot of experimenting, and use it to layer flavors, not to dominate. It's like the anchovy you buzz up in the blender with a whole bunch of other sauce ingredients, it gives an extra flavor to the whole that everybody will notice but nobody will be able to identify. Tell them it's anchovies/fish sauce, they'll gag.

[politicat]

2. I use anchovy paste instead...

Mostly because I don't like the clutter of multiple bottles of open stuff. (and it doesn't stink as badly.)

It's definitely used like ambergis or musk in perfume: it's a base and a note, not a dominant flavor. Use it in the level of 1/8 and 1/16 tsp initially, stirring and tasting before adding more.

It is grand as a component for dipping sauces, but it's not to be used by itself in most cases!

[Stinky The Clown]

4. As above ........ it has uses way beyond just Asian cooking .....

But think of it as an ingredient, never as a focus.

In our kithcne, it has found its way into an amazing variety of stuff ...... including soups and sauces and marinades and .... and ..... and .....

Just another arrow in your culinary quiver! :)

[demnan]

3. I love fish sauce

I use it in everything. Pork especially benefits from it. Try using a few shakes in a light stir fry that has a small amount of meat and lots of savoy cabbage or bok toy and use some bean sprouts as well. A few shakes of soy sauce and a few shakes of fish sauce and some of that wonderful roster sauce you buy in Asian markets.

I must admit, when I want to wake up a pasta sauce, I use a few shakes of fish sauce as its easy to break out on the shelf than a tin of anchovies, and it provides the same flavor, after all the Romans used it.

[mike_c]

5. I use a fair amount of fish sauce....

I might even be the "folk" you're referring to :-), but if I've listed it in most asian recipes that's only because I've mostly posted Thai and Vietnamese derived recipes here. My personal feeling is that Purfina Patis is not a great fish sauce, but don't despair. Definitely refrigerate it after you open it-- it doesn't spoil, but it gets stronger when it's exposed to air, and PP is not a particularly delicate fish sauce to begin with. My personal preference is Three Crabs Brand Nuoc Mam. Anyway, I've posted a recipe for a great tasting (hot) dipping sauce for beef before-- combine 6-10 thai chilis, sliced thin (you can use seranos in a pinch, but they're not as good), 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar, and 3 Tbsp of fish sauce. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Here's my recipe for Tom Kha Gai, Thai chicken and coconut milk soup:

4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 stalks fresh lemon grass, cut into 2 inch lengths, tough outer leaves discarded, inner leaves crushed
1 can coconut milk (I prefer May Ploy brand)
3 cups chicken stock + a little extra
a generous grind of fresh black pepper
8-10 pieces of galanga root, cut into thin rounds (use ginger if you can't find galanga, but it's different)
4 kaffir lime leaves, or the finely grated zest from about 1/2 a lime (I actually prefer the lime zest, even though it's not as authentic)
6-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft and sliced (discard the water)
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp or a little more to taste)
a handfull of cilantro

Bring the coconut milk and chicken stock to a simmer, then add all the other ingredients except the fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro. Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, adding a bit more stock if necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and some chopped cilantro. Don't eat the tough lemon grass stalks.

on edit: This is modified from Nancy McDermott's version in Real Thai.

[NMDemDist2]

6. i believe you are the "folk" i mentioned LOL

too bad my first choice was an off brand so i'll go slow with it, and it just a couple bux so no lost if it comes time to upgrade

i was in the Phillipino mkt and had no clue what to buy, then found a real Korean supermarket with all the goodies right around the corner!

I did a walnut chicken in plum sauce tonight that was a hit, but it was a bit sweet, I bet some fish sauce woulda helped :)

Mr Ketchup loves asian food, me .. not so much. but I'm trying to get a few dishes in the mix for him that I'll eat too.

[DemExpat]

8. Yes, I use it in dishes like this one as well,

and was shocked at how good it is added at the end of cooking curries.....when I took a whiff at it I thought...."oh no....." :puke:

DemEx

[Tab]

7. Fish sauce gives that fifth taste sensation

Western foods play off of Sweet, Sour, Salty, and Bitter, which were considered the four taste receptors, but it's since been accepted that there's a fifth receptor, for a flavor known as umami. Asian foods have played to this receptor for many years, in the west, it's the flavor of MSG.

Fish sauce gives you that umami/MSG taste. It really rounds out the flavors. You wouldn't want to drink it directly (well, I wouldn't), but trying making a dish with and without it - it makes a heck of a difference.

How much you use depends on the nature of the dish, and how well the food will blend with it. On some foods, just a little. On some other dishes, it fits in perfectly.

I make a thai chicken curry with coconut milk that fish sauce rounds out the flavor on. I made swordfish (which I normally dislike, just because I hate the heavy white fishes) but served it with fish sauce on top - not drenched, but wow - big difference.

This country got an MSG scare some time ago, which was basically undeserved, but MSG was originally praised for being that extra flavor difference. Fish sauce gives you umami, or MSG flavor. Don't think of it as its source (fermented anchovies, if I'm not mistaken) but cook some trout, or swordfish, or asian food, and drizzle it on top (not heavy) and see if you notice the difference. If you do it in a way that your food tastes too "fishy" then you did too much.

I wouldn't go near the stuff for the longest time until I learned what it was for. Now I think of it as the "magic ingredient". I put it in all sorts of things. I just don't tell anyone. :)