Invented in China in the first millennium BC, fish sauce was also popular in ancient Rome and Greece. In addition to soy sauce, it is the main spice for Asian cuisine. The sauce has a salty, unique and irreplaceable taste, obtained from fermented salted fish, and perfectly enhances the taste of curry. The color of the sauce is rich red-transparent or golden brown. Some types of fish sauce are prepared with raw small fish. Usually it is used instead of salt as a spicy seasoning for fried dishes or as a marinade for meat or fish. Traditional fish sauce is known in Vietnam as nuoc nam, in the Philippines - patis, in Thailand - nam pla in Thailand and in Japan - shottsuru. In some other regions, it is also called fish gravy or fish gravy.
It is worth noting that the fish sauce has a very characteristic pungent aroma, which softens during cooking. Asian fish sauce is different. For example, Vietnamese fish sauce is sweet because sugar is added to the fish during fermentation, and the Filipino sauce, which is known as Bagoong Monamon, has a sour taste.
Today, fish sauce is made in villages and fishing villages. For its preparation, the fish is placed in barrels, sprinkled with salt and given time for fermentation. After that, the liquid that is formed in the barrels is removed through a tap located at the bottom of the can. When the fish meat is finished fermentation, it is filtered, placed in a clean container and exposed to the sun. The more such a product will be in direct sunlight, the better the sauce will turn out, with a more intense aroma - this is how the first grade of fish sauce gets. The second and third grades are made by coating the remaining fish with salt water again and left for two to three months to continue fermentation and then bottled. Finally, the remaining fish is boiled in salt water, and the lowest grade of fish sauce is obtained, in which the taste is significantly reduced. By consistency, some sauces are quite diverse - some may be liquid, while others are more similar to mashed potatoes.
A good fish sauce, the recipe of which is quite simple, is prepared from a mixture of fish and salt, which have been roaming for 1 year to 18 months. Anchovies are generally used, although some types of sauce can be prepared from other types of fish, such as mackerel, tuna, shrimp and even squid. There are many recipes for its preparation, but the most common recipes always contain ingredients such as anchovies, salt and water. Sugar may be added, but it is not necessary. Vegetarian fish sauce is also available in Vietnamese shops.
For those who care about their personal sodium intake, using the sauce can be a dilemma. But don't worry. If the sodium content in fish sauce seems outrageous, then do not forget that this amount is evenly distributed throughout the product that you cook. Add only part of the fish sauce provided for in the recipe, and boldly replace the remaining portion with sea salt - it contains a smaller portion of sodium than in ordinary table salt.
So that the dish, in the preparation of which fish sauce is used, does not have an unpleasant smell, you need to add a few drops of lime juice. In most Thai recipes, the sauce comes in combination with lemon and other spicy ingredients. Fish sauce, as a rule, is not served separately as the main sauce through its intense smell. Instead, it is most often used in dishes that were originally seasoned with other spices.
It takes time to prepare natural fish sauce, so it is made in large-scale industries. Although you can cook something like that at home. To do this, peel the salmon, remove the bones and cut into small pieces. Peel the shrimp and cut into 2-3 parts. Cut the cod into small pieces, squeeze the garlic through the garlic press. Add olive oil and white wine to the fish. Boil until the wine has evaporated. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. The sauce should be kept on low heat for another 30 minutes, at the end add chopped parsley.