Soy sauce is a celebrated cooking staple that was borne out of Eastern Asia. Over the years, soy sauce has spread to every country on the planet and some of these countries have even developed their own tasty alternatives. Today, I am going to talk to you about two such alternative options: tamari and coconut aminos. If you are unfamiliar with those two sauces, you’ve…
Ingredients
What Is Tofu?
You may have heard of tofu in such dishes as mapo tofu of China, soon tofu of Korea, agedashi tofu of Japan, or dau sot ca chua (or the meat-filled version) of Vietnam. Tofu has made its way through Asia and down to southeast Asia eventually becoming important culinary staple throughout. In its many forms–silken, firm, tofu skin–cooked in many…
What is Soy Sauce?
Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans and is considered to be a staple condiment in kitchens throughout the world. Nominally associated with Asian food, I’ve found that soy sauce can make a delicious addition to a wide array of dishes. Known for being brown and salty, this briny and fermented sauce first originated in China more than 1,000 years…
What is Fish Sauce?
Fish sauce. The mere mention of this stuff strikes fear in the hearts of many. It’s an incredibly pungent, fishy concentrated liquid that even southeast Asian cooks knowingly handle with caution. A spilled bottle will undoubtedly leave a very stinky lasting impression. Like a lot of Asian foods in America, this potent flavor powerhouse suffers from the unfortunate stigma of…
Vietnamese Scallions & Oil Garnish Recipe (Mỡ Hành)
This is a simple garnish of scallion and oil for Vietnamese foods. It’s found on a lot of dishes such as bún chả giò (egg rolls with noodles), thịt nướng (grilled pork), bánh hỏi, sườn nướng (pork chops), bánh bèo, cơm tấm bì and many others. So it goes very well with grilled meats or rice noodle dishes. What is it?…
Vietnamese Caramel Sauce Recipe (Nước Màu)
Nước Màu, or caramel sauce is added for color in a lot of Vietnamese recipes, and it’s easy to make! All you need is sugar and water. This recipe makes enough for my Thịt Kho recipe, but you can easily triple or quadruple this recipe to store in the fridge. It’s currently tailored to be more liquidy for Thịt Kho.…
