11/20/2023 0 Comments Best fish sauce brand![]() ![]() “There’s no addition of any extra water.”įood Banh cuon 101: Everything you need to know about Vietnamese rice sheetsĮverything you need to know about banh cuon, Vietnamese rice sheetsįor the second pressing, they add salted water, ferment again, and blend for a 25N result. “We blend nuoc mam nhi (first-press fish sauce) from the best barrels to arrive at 40 or 41N. I liken the N numbers to octane levels in gasoline. The nitrogen level indicates a condiment’s umami oomph, which is based on amino acids (mostly glutamates) naturally released during the aging process. Viet producers gauge a batch’s potency by the “N,” or grams of nitrogen per liter of fish sauce. “The fish vary by season, so the fish sauce intensity differs,” she explained. Recounting the feedback, Albee revealed her geeky fish-sauce-maker self. And some Viet people questioned if FDA inspection and approval really meant a clean, legit product. Others noted the lack of bot ngot (monosodium glutamate) as a sign that Son wasn’t the real deal.ĭetailing their old-fashioned method of using delicate-tasting anchovies, sea salt and 12 months of aging in wooden barrels didn’t always convince people of the purity of their first-press (think extra virgin olive oil) product. Some said Albee’s nuoc mam wasn’t salty enough. Initial response was mixed customers had gotten used to the flavor of non-Viet fish sauce, and Son’s artisanal condiment seemed off. “Em la deh-mo lay-dee,” Albee said in charming Viet-glish, talking about her demos of fish sauce and cucumber slices. When he spotted Caribbean shoppers carrying fried whole fish, he pitched making a dipping sauce of jalapeños and fish sauce.Īlbee, meanwhile, focused on converting Vietnamese customers. To Mexican customers, Danny suggested using fish sauce for boosting flavor in salsas and menudo he sold Filipinos on using Son for Jollibee-style spaghetti. Many of the grocers were located in relatively low-income areas and served an international clientele. They hustled and did in-store events, driving as far as New Mexico and, if needed, staying at the market owner’s home. “It got scary if the boxes shifted too much on the road,” he recalled.įood What to look for when buying fish sauceįish sauce smells strong and the workhorse condiment is commonly combined with other ingredients to work its umami magic. Danny regularly loaded his car with a pallet’s worth of fish sauce and delivered cases to Asian supermarkets. ![]() Independent and undaunted (they received no handouts from their families, Danny emphasized), the couple passed on using distributors. With little experience in food product marketing and sales, they sold their stake in the restaurant and relocated to California in 2014 to launch Son Fish Sauce. He wanted Viet-American pride to extend beyond pho noodle soup and ao dai traditional tunic outfits. “I would like us to have a product on the shelf that everybody can be proud of.” “Vietnamese people, we’ve been here for like 30, 40 years,” he said. Danny saw the opportunity in a different light. “My family did a lot of wholesale business to supply fish sauce to nearby Phu Quoc Island, so they never thought much about building their own brand,” Albee said. Why not go in the reverse direction? With quality fish sauce gaining traction among Western chefs, it seemed like the perfect time to export nuoc mam. ![]() Nevertheless, their success proved that importing ideas from America to the motherland was worthwhile. “After the second one, I wanted to kill him,” Albee joked. Launching and expanding their business was relatively easy, they said, but running it was harder. ![]()
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