Thai fish sauce is traditionally served with fish dishes in any local cafe. The real name sounds like "Nam Pla". It is served in small clay cups.
You can also make Thai fish sauce yourself. The homemade version of the sauce is called Kratak. There is a third option - Pla Thu fish sauce, which is very rare today.
How Thai sauce is made
All these sauces are prepared in almost the same way. When making a homemade version, take small fish. Only mackerel is used for Pla Thu sauce. In recent years, its catch has dropped sharply, which explains the rarity of the sauce.
The fish is mixed with salt in a 3: 2 ratio in ceramic containers and fermented. Fermentation should continue for 8 months. Next, the fish sauce is heated over low heat, bringing to the desired condition. During fermentation, even large pieces of fish dissolve completely, forming a liquid.
A variety of mackerel sauce is also made from fermented fish. However, a mixture of fish pieces and salt is placed in linen bags and hung over a container where drops of future sauce drip. This version is compared to a waterfall, therefore the name of the sauce is appropriate, "Nam Pla Tok", a fish waterfall.
Thai fish sauce "Keiy"
Of all the fish sauces in Thailand, Keiy is the most delicious. It is classified as fish, but it is made from small crustaceans that look like shrimp in appearance. The recipe for this sauce is found in old cooking books.
The small crustacean is ground with salt until a uniform paste is obtained and put into a net. The bundles are hung over containers in direct sunlight. The liquid flows into the container, and the dried mass remains in the nets. It is called "Kapi" in Thailand and is eaten as a favorite delicacy.
The liquid released during fermentation is colored in a slightly brown red-brown color, typical of all other Thai sauces. The liquid is boiled with low heat, adding pineapple pieces and sugar cane to it. Therefore, the Keiy sauce has a pleasant sweetish taste and slight sourness. Thanks to the pineapple, an original aroma appears, perfectly combined with the fishy smell.
It should be noted that this Thai sauce is not commercially available. Basically, it is prepared at home, offering the surplus to restaurants. Sometimes it can be purchased in small quantities from a private manufacturer.
For the preparation of "Keiy" use the upper layer of liquid, until a cloudy sediment accumulates in the lower part of the container. The cloudy sediment in the sauce scares off buyers unfamiliar with the technology of its preparation. However, a special sauce made from the lower layer of liquid, despite its cloudy consistency, has a richer flavor.
