Whether you have leftover fish sauce from a previous recipe or are curious about this delicious sauce and wonder why everyone's using it (pssst, it's because it's loaded with umami), I highly encourage you to try it, it may become your new favorite way to season your dishes!
Here' is a list of my favorite (and popular) recipes that makes use of fish sauce to get you started. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
What is Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce is a pungent and strong-smelling condiment made from fermented fish, salt, and water that is popular in South East Asian like Thailand and Vietnam.
While it might be off-putting initially, especially due to its aroma, it transforms when used in cooking! Once it's added to dishes, the smell becomes less intense. It blends well with other flavors and is loaded with umami, which makes dishes incredibly flavorful and delicious.
Thai Red Curry
Thai red curry is a rich and flavorful dish that combines the aromatic spices of Thai cuisine with a smooth and deliciously creamy coconut cream base. It’s a quick and easy dish with many layers of flavors, from fish sauce, shrimp paste, coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, and condensed milk.
Get the Recipe: Thai Red Curry
Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)
A quick and easy recipe for Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) is the epitome of fish sauce and made with fish sauce, fresh lime juice, garlic, and sugar. Delicious with spring rolls, grilled meat, or vermicelli bowls!
Get the Recipe: Nuoc Cham
Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry)
A delicious, quick, and easy-to-make Pad Woon Sen (Thai glass noodles stir fry) recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less and loaded with umami thanks to fish sauce!
Get the Recipe: Pad Woon Sen
Cashew Chicken
This Thai cashew chicken recipe (Gai Pad Med Mamuang) features crunchy cashews and perfectly cooked chicken stir-fried in a delicious savory sauce that tastes just like takeout!
Get the Recipe: Cashew Chicken
Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa)
This tender and juicy, easy-to-make sweet and savory grilled Vietnamese lemongrass pork chops recipe (Thit Heo Nuong Xa) is full of flavors from lemongrass, garlic, and fish sauce and grilled for that extra char and caramelization. If you don't have a BBQ, not to worry - I have included stovetop instructions as well.
Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops
Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo Kho)
If you love tender, fall-apart braised beef stew, you definitely need to check out this Bo Kho recipe! It’s a delicious authentic Vietnamese beef stew that’s made by braising beef with spices and aromatics from lemongrass to star anise. It’s incredibly comforting and perfect for special occasions or an everyday meal.
Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo Kho)
Lao Crispy Rice Salad (Nam Khao)
A Lao crispy rice salad (Nam Khao) with crispy, chewy textures made with deep fried crispy rice balls and tossed in a sweet, tart, salty dressing made with fish sauce, sugar and red curry paste.
Get the Recipe: Lao Crispy Rice Salad (Nam Khao)
Easy Thai Peanut Satay Sauce
This flavorful quick and easy homemade Thai Peanut Satay Sauce recipe is made with coconut milk, fish sauce, peanut butter, and red curry paste and requires no cooking. It is great with chicken satay, appetizers, salads, or noodles!
Get the Recipe: Easy Thai Peanut Satay Sauce
Singapore Noodles
This Singapore Noodles (aka Singapore Mei Fun) recipe will give you the tastiest takeout style dish in the comfort of your own home. This dry curry noodle dish is made with stir-fried vermicelli noodles, fish sauce, curry powder, shrimp, strips of eggs, char siu, and vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Singapore Noodles
Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
This popular Grilled Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe is incredibly quick and easy to prepare, loaded with flavor from the lemongrass chicken marinade and fish sauce and grilled to perfection to give you a delicious sweet and savory, juicy grilled chicken that can be served in many different ways.
Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam
Kimchi fried rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap) is the ultimate fried rice dish to make at home when you’re short on time but don’t want to compromise on flavor! It’s a delicious and easy 30-minute recipe that you can make at home using simple ingredients such as kimchi, spam, and leftover rice with a fried egg on top. I use fish sauce to give this fried rice even more umami!
Get the Recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam
Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)
Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad) is a deliciously vibrant, refreshing, and tangy dish that’s made using mung bean glass noodles, garlic shrimp, fresh vegetables! They’re all then tossed in a delicious and simple garlicky fish sauce dressing that has the most perfectly balanced sweet, savory, and tart flavors.
Get the Recipe: Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao)
A delicious, simple, quick, and easy, spicy Thai Basil Chicken recipe (Pad Krapow Gai) made with diced or ground chicken, yardlong beans, and fresh Thai basil tossed in a savory umami sauce made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
Get the Recipe: Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao)
Pork and Shrimp Wonton Dumplings
Here is my ultimate guide on how to make authentic Chinese wonton dumplings at home from scratch and how to fold them! It also includes a pork and shrimp wonton filling recipe that shows you how to make incredibly springy wontons with loads of umami thanks to the oyster and fish sauce.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Shrimp Wonton Dumplings
Thai Peanut Noodles (10 Minute Recipe!)
These quick and easy Thai peanut noodles are incredibly creamy and flavorful and only take 10 minutes to make! They’re versatile enough to customize with whatever veggies and fresh herbs you like, and this recipe uses my homemade peanut sauce made with peanut butter and fish sauce that takes these noodles to the next level!
Get the Recipe: Thai Peanut Noodles
Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)
Bun Bo Hue is a spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle soup that is not quite as popular as Pho but should not be overlooked! This authentic bun bo hue noodle soup is beefy, spicy & has a robust broth. If you love Pho and you love a bit of spice then definitely give Bun Bo Hue a try.
Get the Recipe: Bun Bo Hue
Easy Authentic Pad Thai
This easy authentic Pad Thai recipe is incredibly quick to prepare and has a perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour flavors by using a balanced ratio of fish sauce, tamarind paste and sugar. Ready from start to finish in 30 minutes or less!
Get the Recipe: Pad Thai
Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Nasi Goreng is a popular Indonesian fried rice that packs a ton of flavor in each bite, and is probably one of the tastiest fried rice out there. It features a unique dark brown color that comes from the sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) caramelizing and a salty shrimp paste (or fish sauce) that gives it a lot of umami flavor.
Get the Recipe: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
This Tom Kha Gai soup is creamy and will give you authentic flavors for the best Thai coconut chicken soup you've ever had! What's best is that it's super quick and easy and is made with coconut milk and aromatics like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal root.
Get the Recipe: Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
Authentic Thai Tom Yum Soup
If you’re looking for an authentic Tom Yum Soup recipe that will give you classic flavors easily at home, then this is the one for you! This Thai hot and sour soup is easy, flavorful, and incredibly comforting with a great balance of sweet, salty and tart.
Get the Recipe: Authentic Thai Tom Yum Soup
Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
This Khao Soi recipe features chicken cooked in a rich, creamy, and spicy coconut curry soup with soft egg noodles and topped with crispy noodles! It’s the perfect combination of flavors and textures for an irresistible dish you won’t get enough of!
Get the Recipe: Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
More From Pups with Chopsticks - 14 Asian Grilled Recipes That Will Make Your All Your BBQs Unforgettable
Whether you are looking for a simple burger or a fun meat-on-sticks recipe to serve at your next get-together, here is a list of fantastic Asian grilled recipes you can (and should!) try the next time you fire up your grill.
14 Asian Grilled Recipes You Need to Try
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From deep-fried to braised, beef is always delicious no matter how you prepare it, but if you're looking for something with an Asian twist here is a list of beef recipes we make at home and can't get enough of.
20+ Delicious Asian Beef Recipes You Must Try at Home
This article originally appeared on Pups with Chopsticks.
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