Pho Hoang | Vietnamese Pho Restaurant 95521 | Arcata CA

News

28
Apr

Pho Hoang | Vietnamese Pho Restaurant 95521 | Arcata CA

Pho Hoang - Vietnamese Pho Restaurant 95521 - Arcata CA: We're proud to offer the best quality of homemade Vietnamese food in this area. Freshness, quick service, and outstanding Vietnamese food are our ongoing high quality standards.

Discovering Vietnamese Sauces in Vietnam

Nuoc Mam – Vietnamese Fish Sauce

Nuoc mam is the base for many sauces in Vietnamese cuisine, here with banh beo

Nuoc mam, the iconic Vietnamese fish sauce is used in many Vietnamese dishes. Similar to salt used in western tables, nuoc mam is found on Vietnamese tables to season food.

This fish sauce is made from the juice of fermented fish typically anchovies, and then mixed with salt. This Vietnamese fish sauce is manufactured all along the coast of Vietnam.

The best Nuoc Mam fish sauce is said to come from Phu Quoc Island, a paradise island west of Vietnam.

The manufacturing of nuoc mam is quite fascinating. Layers of fish and salt are marinated for several months in large wooden barrels.

The fermented liquid is then extracted and gives a dark orange color juice used as a dipping sauce.

The first extract is the most expensive. Lower quality fish sauces are made by adding water to the extracted juice. The resulting liquid is clearer and lighter and generally used for cooking.

One of the best fish sauces is Red Boat fish sauce. Red boat makes organic fish sauce from only two ingredients: anchovies and salt. The anchovies are caught on small boats and salted on the spot.

Gluten free, this sauce has no MSG or preservatives, and no flavoring or water is added. The salted fish are then fermented for a minimum of 12 months before extraction of the juice.

Red boat also makes higher grade Vietnamese fish sauce known as their Reserve bottles for a more intense taste.

While the smell of nuoc mam might put off a few, don’t let it turn you off.

We recommend using a higher grade Vietnamese fish sauce as nuoc mam is used as a base for various other Vietnamese sauces.

And we find Vietnamese fish sauce to be the perfect complement to salt simple rice dishes.

Previous Post
Next Post