Traditional to most Asian cuisines like the Thai or Vietnamese, we need a version of fish sauce that is fish-free to add umami to bring a depth of flavor and savoriness to the dish that is typical. Curious how to? Here’s an unexpected version that comes very close to the original.
No fish were harmed in the making of this No fish sauce!
INGREDIENTS – lightly flavoured No fish sauce
- 1/8 cup warm water
- 1 Tbsp raw turbinado or muscovado sugar
- 1/8 cup fresh or canned 100% pineapple juice
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
- Add salt to taste
Preparation
- Stir the water and sugar together in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add the pineapple juice and light soy sauce and mix well.
- Allow at least 1 hour for the fermentation process to kick in. It can take up to 3-4 days , even when placed in the fridge. Ensure that you check regularly that there is not too much pressure building up in the glass/jar. Open regularly.
- Refrigerate in a glass container or place it in the freezer, which shall stop the fermentation process.
I used this first, lighter flavoured version for the Black Rice Mango Orange & Peanuts Salad. Delightful!!
INGREDIENTS – deeper flavoured No fish sauce
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup soy sauce, tamari, or Braggs Aminos
- around 10gr or 4-5 whole dried shiitake mushrooms
- 3 large sheets of nori seaweed, shredded
- around 6-7g or ¼ cup wakame seaweed or the same amount of kombu kelp or a combination of both
- 1 shallot or small onion, roughy chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic, smashed with skin
- 15 peppercorns
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp miso
- ¾ tsp sea salt
Preparation
- Put everything into a medium pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer on low for 20 minutes to extract all of the flavors out of the ingredients.
- When done, you’ll want to clarify the liquid, as it will have become slightly cloudy. Pour all through a fine cheesecloth and let the liquid drip through. You can help it along by squeezing the solids gently in the cloth.
- After it is all drained, transfer your homemade No fish sauce to an airtight glass jar or bottle and put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Because of the high salt content, it lasts in the fridge.