34 posts Posts by julie

Red Boat Fish Sauce from Phu Quoc

by on April 4, 2012, 1 comment

A couple years ago, I set out on a quest to learn what makes Phu Quoc fish sauce so legendary. I also realized in the process how difficult it is to find authentic fish sauce made in Phu Quoc here. Since then, an exciting new fish sauce brand has come onto the market.

Red Boat Fish Sauce is based out of a family-owned factory in Phu Quoc and uses the traditional fermentation process to make its product. The company contacted me several months ago about trying out a free sample, and I’m happy to have great things to report here.

Upon receiving my free sample, I immediately noticed a few differences between Red Boat and my regular fish sauce brand (Flying Lion) that’s more readily available at grocery stores. First, Red Boat fish sauce is noticeably redder in color and clearer, which suggests a purer product. Next, I was pleased to see that the only ingredients in this fish sauce are anchovies and salt. And finally, it is nice to know that this stuff actually comes from Phu Quoc, as opposed to the brands that loudly proclaim the Phu Quoc name but are actually manufactured elsewhere.

Red Boat is noticeably different in taste as well. The fish sauce is definitely sweeter and rounder in flavor, and it’s not as aggressively salty as some of the other fish sauce brands. [Edit: I should clarify that by “sweet” I don’t mean sugar-sweet; more like umami-sweet.]

Red Boat on left; Flying Lion on right. The left was redder in person; the right, more amber.

What I love about Red Boat is that it is an artisanal product. The makers have taken care to follow traditional methods of fish sauce making — only ca com, the black anchovy found in Phu Quoc’s surrounding waters, is used; the fish are salted immediately after they are caught at sea; the fish are fermented for a year; and only wooden barrels are used. All of this contributes to Red Boat’s refined taste.

Red Boat impressively offers fish sauce available at 50°N — the highest number I’ve ever seen. (N refers to nitrogen, and the higher number indicates a higher amount of protein in the content, which means it’s more concentrated.)

I also like the packaging. It’s clean, fun, modern, and looks like they put some time and thought into how to present the product.

Red Boat fish sauce is pricier than other brands. A 500-ml bottle of fish sauce at 40°N costs $10. (Flying Lion costs $2.90 on Amazon.) But this isn’t unreasonable for an artisanal item. I reserve Red Boat for dipping and use other brands for cooking.

I’ve seen Red Boat Fish Sauce available at the Vietnamese grocery store at the Eden Center in Falls Church, VA, so you might be able to find it at your local Asian grocery store too. It can also be ordered at the Red Boat online shop.

Disclaimer: I received 2 free samples of Red Boat fish sauce without any obligations to review or promote. Opinions in this post are my own.

Food Matchmaking: Sweet Potato Loves Coconut Oil

by on March 30, 2012, 0 comments

Do you cook with coconut oil?

My cousin recently got me into coconut oil as a health food. It’s full of good saturated fat (like avocado) and helps lower bad cholesterol. Plus, it has a lovely tropical fragrance. My favorite thing to make with it is baked sweet potatoes. I like to make sweet potato fries served alongside panko-crusted cod for a healthier version of fish ‘n’ chips. And, like my cousin, I’ve started adding a bit of coconut oil to baby food (E loves it!) — fat helps babies absorb the food’s nutrients better, and with coconut oil they also get the extra health benefits and lovely aroma.

Try substituting coconut oil for butter in desserts (use 25% less than what’s called for, since it has less water content). You can also apply it to your skin and hair as a moisturizer. Check out this NYT article for more information and ideas on how to use coconut oil. Make sure to get the unprocessed, extra virgin (and preferably organic) kind, since the partially hydrogenated kind contains trans fats, as the article points out.

Images from here and here.

Apologies

by on March 28, 2012, 0 comments

Our apologies for any issues you may have been experiencing with this site of late. We have been attempting to look into the problem, but our food skills are better than our computer skills. :P If anyone has any techie recommendations, please send them on over! And feel free to let us know of any specific problems you encounter here. Thanks!

Food Matchmaking: Avocado Loves Sugar

by on March 23, 2012, 1 comment

More often than not these days, I encounter avocado as a savory food — in guacamole, salads, or sandwiches. But I actually grew up eating avocado more like I would a fruit — that is, as something sweet, which I know some people find strange. It is still my favorite smoothie flavor. And, when I was a kid, my mom would make me this snack of avocado chunks in milk with a bit of sugar sprinkled over top, and I’d eat it up like cereal. Is that weird? :)

I guess to me avocado is kind of like butter — rich, creamy, and good both savory and sweet. I would love to see more avocado desserts — like this avocado pie!

How do you like your avocado?

Images from here and here.