Fish Sauce

Fish sauces are really typical of Southeast Asia. With their pungency and saltiness, their function is to bring out the flavours of the dish without themselves being noticed. Therefore, they should be used sparingly. Of those available in London, most of which are from Thailand, my favourite is called Squid, though it is not made from squid. In these recipes I use the Thai name, nam pla, meaning ‘fish sauce’. Occasionally, however, the Vietnamese nuoc mam is preferable. Either can be used to substitute for the other.