6 Asian Tips to Enjoy Budget-friendly Meals at Home
Frugality is common practice in Asian cultures, without giving up on wholesome and flavourful home-cooked meals. Come discover the handy tips!
Fish sauce is fantastic to cook with. Sure, by itself it can be a little intimidating, but it’s truly one of the great seasoning agents you can use, especially in Asian cooking.
While it’s brother-in-salt soy sauce is welcomed with open arms across the culinary globe, fish sauce is largely misunderstood and distrusted by many around the world. Well, it’s time to dispel the rumours, fallacies and mistruths about this wonderful liquid.
Fish sauce comes in many different forms and is made from many different ingredients. Its colour can range from a delicate amber to a rich, deep black.
What is Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce is a pungent, amber-coloured liquid used as a condiment. It can also be used as a dipping sauce, in marinades or for seasoning. The most common type of fish used is anchovy, but different cultures will use what is available to them, including prawns, shellfish and other fish, like sardines and mackerel.
One of the most common—and unkind—myths about fish sauce is that it is made from rotting fish. No! This is incorrect! Like soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, fish sauce is made from fermented fish. The fish—or prawns, squid, etc.—is layered with salt in big barrels and left to ferment for several months. The fish break down slowly, mixing with the salt, and the resulting liquid is extracted, filtered, sweetened with a little sugar, and bottled.
The reason anchovies are favoured in so many fish sauce recipes are mostly due to their natural abundance. Anchovies are mainly found in warm oceans, like those found throughout Southeast Asia. Anchovies are also quite oily and have a strong flavour, which lends itself well to making the sauce. Despite their mixed reputation in the West—often as an unwelcome surprise on pizza—anchovies make a great sauce.
Like so many things that originate from the ancient continent of Asia, fish sauce can be dated back thousands of years. Records of sauces made from fermented fish date back to the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China—some 2300 years ago! But while fish sauce’s popularity in China had waned dramatically by 50 B.C., the peoples of Southeast Asia became hooked. This is one of the reasons that so much of the world’s best fish sauce is produced there.
In fact, fish sauce production was one of the major growth industries in post-WWII Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Vietnam. Most of the best biggest brands sprang into existence in the 1940s and ’50s, with Squid Brand being no exception.
Established in 1944, Squid Brand Fish Sauce is now Thailand’s most popular condiment—and that’s a lot of households. Using only quality ingredients, their products contain no added MSG, preservatives or colours and is gluten free.
They were even awarded Best Thai Brand by the Prime Minister in 2016, one of the most valued awards to celebrate their outstanding popularity and rising demands globally!
Due to its large-scale exporting, Squid Brand Fish Sauce have to measure up to international standards of quality and excellence, so you know the stuff you find on your shelves is up to scratch. With no added MSG or preservatives, you’re getting all the natural flavours of the highest quality anchovies, and it’s even gluten free!
So now you’ve got your sauce sorted, let’s get down to the good stuff—how to best use it!
Spoiler alert: you may think you don’t like fish sauce, chances are you might be surprised to know you actually do! If you’ve ever eaten Vietnamese or Thai food, then you’ve 100% eaten dishes enhanced with fish sauce. It’s in many of your favourite Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Malaysian and Singaporean dishes, including salad dressings, grill marinades, sauce dips and a whole bunch of stir-fries.
And being made from seafood, fish sauce can help add that delicious and mysterious fifth flavour profile umami. Together with sweet, sour, bitter and salt, umami is one of the sensations you get in your mouth when you bite into something delicious. Most often associated with rich meats and fatty fish, it’s also packed into every bottle of quality fish sauce.
But fish sauce is best used as a replacement for salt and even soy sauce. Its layers of flavour bring tremendous complexity to dipping sauces, marinades and salad dressings, and unlike soy sauce, fish sauce does not add colour to your dish. But like all things, remember to use it in moderation; a little goes a long way!
So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to make fish sauce your new ‘secret weapon’ in the kitchen.
Northern Thai Rice Noodles - combines the succulent flavour of pork with spicy chillies and galangal, made extra umami with fish sauce.
Thai Sour Fish Curry – Accentuate the taste of Barramundi in this spicy, tangy Thai special. Fillets coated with potato starch and fish sauce marinade, deep-fried to golden yumminess and dipped in an exciting, flavourful curry soup.
Seven Veggies Chicken Salad – Crunchy, wholesome greens and chicken strips lathered with a rich spicy seasoning of curry paste, fish sauce, tamarind paste, palm sugar and coconut cream. Appetizing and zesty.
Pan-fried Beef Buns – Chew into deeply umami minced beef filling, flavoured with a delectable mix of fish sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. One bun is never enough.
Lup Lup Delight – Stir-fried cubed veggies, chicken and roasted cashew cuts made yummy with fish sauce, black soy sauce, ginger, chilli and pepper. Simple to cook, awesome to taste. Best enjoyed with rice.
Grilled Tom Yum Prawns – Add this thrilling spicy-sour seafood treat to your weekend barbies. Fish sauce elevates the taste of prawns. Tom yum paste for flavoursome excitement.
Grilled Stuffed Squid with Pork Mince – Chewy succulent squid-rings packed with minced pork, seasoned in fish sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and a dash of pepper. Delicious, satisfying, and easier to make than it looks.
Lemongrass Chicken Skewer – Lemongrass infused marinated chicken, grilled to tasty perfection and served with a special spicy, tangy dip. Fish sauce enhances the flavours of both the marinade and the dip.
Laksa Fried Rice – Fried rice is one of the most versatile Asian favourites. Adaptable to a great variety of mouth-watering flavours, including piquant, umami Laksa. Enriched with fish sauce, soy sauce and chilli. Add a squeeze of lime for extra fragrance!
Stir-fried Thai Beef with Lemongrass and Chillies - Lemongrass and chilli go brilliantly with beef. Fact. The added tang of Squid Brand Fish Sauce gives the whole dish extra punch.
Stir Fried Thai Lamb - The richness of the lamb is married beautifully with the umami goodness of the oyster sauce and just a dash of fish sauce.
Stir-fried Vegetables with Garlic and Fish Sauce - A wonderful side dish of crisp veggies tossed with garlic and fish sauce. Like all great seasonings, the fish sauce helps bring out the delicious natural flavours of the veggies.
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup - This rich coconut based soup is fantastic when you’re feeling a little under the weather. The fish sauce here helps cut through the sweet richness of the coconut milk.
Thai Style Chicken Wings - For the real fish sauce lovers out there! These marinated chicken wings are deliciously moreish and make a fantastic snack.
Thai-Style Lemony Prawns and Vermicelli Salad combines the delightful flavour of prawn with refreshing lemon juice, made extra umami with fish sauce.
Tangy Fish Curry - for an easy curry night dish, try this flavour-packed tangy fish curry. Fish sauce adds a lovely savoury and is full of umami notes.
Fish Sauce Caramel Chicken and Salad - serve up this tasty caramel chicken, coated with umami fish sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar to deliver the ultimate salty-sweet hit that's finger-licking good.
Honey-Soy Beef and Capsicum Skewers - sweet, sticky and savoury beef capsicum skewers marinated with fish sauce, soy sauce and honey. They're simple to prepare and sure to be snapped up immediately.
Air Fryer Spring Roll Salad Cups - make the most of an air fryer with this recipe for super-yummy spring rolls. Fish sauce elevates the taste of the fillings. They're simple to make, and air-frying means you'll use less oil than deep-frying, so it's a healthier alternative.
Chargrilled Eggplant with Fish Sauce - entertain your guests with lusciously tender eggplant, with bits of crispy charred edges here and there. The secret is hiding in the wonderful dressing infused with beautiful fish sauce.
Thai Pork Larb - use the fragrant fish sauce as a hint to light up this pork larb dish. To enjoy, wrap up with fresh butter lettuce leaves for a delightful sensation.
Gado-Gado Salad with Fish Sauce - A classic Indonesian dish added umami fish sauce for an extra twist. Crunchy vegetables, boiled eggs, satay sauce, fresh coriander, fried tofu and a sprinkling of prawn crackers for added crunchiness if you like.
