Fish Sauce

Korean fish sauce is difficult to find outside an Asian or Korean market so Taekyung chose a Thai fish sauce (nam pla) made from anchovies due to its availability and proximity in flavor to the Korean variety. It comes in a tall 700-ml (3-cup) plastic bottle and is often labeled generically as simply “fish sauce.” It is a dark-brown watery liquid with a pungent odor and it lasts indefinitely in the refrigerator. It is used in making kimchi, where it aids the fermentation process, and in some sauces. Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc nam) will also work in the recipes in this book.