Back in January, I had the opportunity to go to Phu Quoc island, off the southwest coast of Vietnam. I probably wouldn’t have ventured there had it not been for one thing: this is where they claim to make the best fish sauce in the world.
What exactly makes it the best? That’s what I wondered too, and I’m happy to say that my quest was not in vain. My story on Phu Quoc fish sauce appears in today’s food section of the Washington Post, where you can read all about my adventures drinking nuoc mam, meeting my fish sauce guru, and the biggest revelation to me of all — the Italians also once used fish sauce, and it’s coming back! That little tidbit opened me up to a whole new set of possibilities in how to use fish sauce, which I hope to share more about on this blog.
I had so much fun writing this story — from trekking all over Vietnam to sampling various types of fish sauces to getting to talk to people I’ve long admired. One of those people is the one and only Andrea Nguyen of the blog Viet World Kitchen, my indispensable resource for all things related to Vietnamese food! Not only did I learn all about fish sauce from some of Andrea’s posts, I also had the great privilege of talking with her about the brands she recommends, which you can find out more about here. Thanks so much, Andrea!
Lastly, I couldn’t write about fish sauce without giving you my mom’s basic formula for Vietnamese dipping sauce, the stuff you eat with spring rolls, vermicelli noodle bowls, salads, wraps — indeed, everything. Technically it’s referred to as nuoc cham, but in our home, we simply call it nuoc mam. The recipe also appears in today’s paper, and Andrea has a version as well on her blog.
Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
1 part fish sauce
1 part lime juice and/or distilled white vinegar
1 part sugar
2 parts water
garlic, minced
Thai bird chilis, thinly sliced
grated carrot for garnish
You can make this the traditional way by pounding garlic, chili, and sugar with a mortar and pestle until the mixture forms a thick paste, then mixing in the liquids. Or you can also use the following method. [Update: I have found that pounding makes such a difference in taste that it is the only way I make nuoc cham now! The method releases all the garlic and chili juices and makes for a sauce tasty enough to drink. Just kidding… kinda. :) The sugar provides some friction, to make pounding easier. ]
Combine fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl. Heat the sugar and some of the water on the stove or in the microwave and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let this cool and combine with the fish sauce, lime, and the rest of the water. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding more sugar for sweetness, lime for sourness, or fish sauce for saltiness. Add minced garlic, slices of Thai bird chilis, and, for garnish, a few shreds of grated carrot.
This tastes best made fresh with lime, garlic, and chili. But the sauce will keep much longer (a month or more in the refrigerator) if you make it with vinegar and leave out the garlic, chili, and carrot until serving. Just freshen with a bit of lime juice when you’re ready to use.
Julie — loved reading your article about Vietnam’s Phu Quoc area and its fish sauce. I am an adoptive mom with two children from Vietnam and learning to cook Vietnamese dishes with the help of recipes such as yours, cookbooks and from my daughter’s Vietnamese-American scout troop Trung Vu’o’ng at the Willston Center in Falls Church.
Thanks for the history of nuoc cham and the story of the Khai Hoan fish sauce factory! It was fascinating to read and I so enjoyed hearing about its uses in other food movements. Yum. My kids dunk everything in it! And suck on whole limes, too to finish it off.
The Nguyen family deserves to pioneer its own brand and stay in this remarkable sauce business. What a treasure it is!
Let me know if you’d ever speak at a parent’s dinner to talk about your journey to this island, show pictures and share your love of Vietnamese/Chinese cuisine.
Kathleen Brown
Mom to Claire Xuan (8) and Peter Quang (4)
Special events coordinator for DC chapter of Families with Children from Vietnam
Falls Church, VA
Kathleen, thanks so much for your note! How funny your kids dunk everything in nuoc mam. My sister and I have been known to suck on a whole lime or two as well. :) Let me email you back on about some of the things you asked about…
I finally read your article! What a great homage to Vietnamese fish sauce. I’ve always been biased to using Thai fish sauce, but now I’ll take a second look before I immediately grab that bottle of Tiparos.
hi talida! thanks for reading it! i am partial to flying lion fish sauce myself — the brand that has “phu quoc” scrawled in really big letters across the top and a tiny lion with wings to the side. :)
Julie, sadly, I discovered, by reading more closely, that most of my flying lion Phu Quoc bottles of fish sauce are made in Thailand or Hongkong. :( I haven’t found an “authentic” one yet. May have to explore a bit further.
Yeah, sadly, Flying Lion and Three Crabs are made by the same Thai company. Knorr has actually bought some plants on Phu Quoc, so they market actual Phu Quoc fish sauce, but their products aren’t available in the US (but have been seen in Canada). There are a few more details here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/20/AR2010042001228.html?sid=ST2010042002063
Regardless, Flying Lion is still my favourite here… I want to try Knorr at some point — next trip to Canada!
Julie,
I really enjoy reading your article. We have small fish sauce factory in Phu Quoc and have been importing Phu Quoc fish sauce to the United States since 2009. Our sale volume is still low but we are trying hard to expand our market. I will be more than happy to send you some samples for you to try. Please accept my offer.
Cuong