Ingredients Page
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Nuoc Mam - This is the Vietnamese
name for a salty liquid made from fish. It is known as Nam Pla in
Thailand, Patis in the Phillipines. The ancient Romans used a similar
sauce known as garum.
You or your guests might be horrified at the thought, but after putting
aside prejudices and tasting it, I am confident that you will grow to love
the stuff. There are various grades; invest a little extra for a
decent bottle on your first try. I highly reccomend "Phu Quoc" out
of Thailand, and I see that it is made now in smaller bottles if you are
unsure. I know that our first bottle lasted nearly a year; the second
six months, and the third was gone in two months or less! Trust me, you
will develop a taste for it. Our children love it straight on rice
if they don't care for what we are having.
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Ground Chile - I don't mean
the canned stuff called "chili powder" (which is just a stale mixture of ground
chiles, oregano, cumin and other spices), but rather the pure ground red chiles
which can be found in any shop carrying a decent selection of fresh spices.
I prefer to get the milder, flavorful version, then add heat with other chiles
as needed. But I'm a picky S.O.B.