Yeah, came here to say this. East Asia has a whole collection of sauces based on fermented fish that taste amazing and have no offensive smell when cooked, but dear God, the smell of the stuff before it’s cooked is horrifying.
EDIT: I guess I should clarify, for anyone who hasn’t had it. It’s not so much that fish sauce itself tastes delicious alone, but it has a ton of umami flavor. Same sort of stuff you get from, say, powdered boletes mushrooms or MSG. It makes savory dishes just taste way better when you add it to them.
I’m guessing oyster sauce is another? I suspect it’s one of those magic ingredients that makes restaurant Pad Thai so good, but I’ve been hesitant to buy a bottle of my own.
Yeah, came here to say this. East Asia has a whole collection of sauces based on fermented fish that taste amazing and have no offensive smell when cooked, but dear God, the smell of the stuff before it’s cooked is horrifying.
EDIT: I guess I should clarify, for anyone who hasn’t had it. It’s not so much that fish sauce itself tastes delicious alone, but it has a ton of umami flavor. Same sort of stuff you get from, say, powdered boletes mushrooms or MSG. It makes savory dishes just taste way better when you add it to them.
I’m guessing oyster sauce is another? I suspect it’s one of those magic ingredients that makes restaurant Pad Thai so good, but I’ve been hesitant to buy a bottle of my own.
Could be, but I haven’t tried that one myself.