<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What is that salty, pungent brown liquid you may see in various kitchens and eateries in Southeast Asia?\u00a0 You may have seen it being used as an ingredient in cooking or as a condiment to a dish.\u00a0 Is it soy sauce?\u00a0 No, close though.\u00a0 It is nothing but good old fish sauce!<\/p>\n
Fish sauce is a staple ingredient found in many countries in Southeast Asia.\u00a0 Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, Burmese and Cambodian meals all have some hint of fish sauce in their food (either as an ingredient or condiment).\u00a0 So, how is it made?\u00a0 Genuine fish sauce is the water or juice in the flesh of fish that is extracted in the process of prolonged salting and fermentation.\u00a0 Most of these fish are either anchovies (they are bountiful in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea) or even smaller species that would otherwise have little consumption value.\u00a0 For fish sauce to develop that distinctive fragrant scent and taste, the fish must be very fresh.\u00a0 In fact, the process starts when the fish is taken off the boat.\u00a0 The fish are rinsed and drained and then mixed with sea salt.\u00a0 After that, the fish are kept in earthenware jars, sandwiched in between two layers of salt (one layer at the bottom and one layer at the top of the jar), covered with a piece of cloth and left exposed the Southeast Asian sun.\u00a0 The jar will then be positioned to keep the fish inside from floating.\u00a0 By doing this, the water inside are extracted out by the salt and fermentation process.\u00a0 The jars will be left alone for the next nine months.\u00a0 Occasionally, the jars will be uncovered so the sun can actually \u2018melt\u2019 the fish inside.\u00a0 This separates top fish sauce from mediocre ones and gives the sauce its distinctive red-brown color.\u00a0 After the long nine months, the liquid then goes through an extensive and thorough filtering process.\u00a0 Finally, the sauce is bottled and ready for the masses.<\/p>\n
So, now that you know how fish sauce is made, why not figure out what it is being called in Southeast Asia, so you can enjoy it?\u00a0 In Vietnam, it is called nuoc mam.\u00a0 The Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc is famous for its fish sauce production.\u00a0 In Thailand, it is called nam plaa and in Laos it is similarly called nam pa.\u00a0 In Myanmar, fish sauce is called ngan byar yay and in Cambodia as teuk trei.\u00a0 After tying out fish sauce, you can now taste the impact this brown liquid adds to your dishes.\u00a0 It will be a fine addition to your kitchen sauces and condiments you may already have at home.\u00a0 Try replacing salt with fish sauce on some of your favorite dishes.<\/p>\n
Of course, there is more to Southeast Asia than fish sauce.\u00a0 The region is home to some of the best beaches in the world, as well as magnificent structures, wonderful people and terrific natural landscapes.\u00a0 You can see EXO Travel\u2019s suggested multi-country tours<\/a> or our Cambodia Culture & Cuisine tour<\/a> or our Culinary Delights of Vietnam tour<\/a> for unforgettable travel and culinary experiences in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n What is that salty, pungent brown liquid you may see in various kitchens and eateries in Southeast Asia?\u00a0 You may have seen it being used as an ingredient in cooking or as a condiment to a dish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,231,243,249,245,238],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cambodia","category-food-and-drink","category-laos","category-myanmar","category-thailand","category-vietnam"],"yoast_head":"\n