Can you please help me find prahoc?

[valmara1971]

Hello gentlemen of the world. My SWMBO is currently working her way through Rick Stein’s far eastern odyssey cook book. We have sourced most of the ingredients locally. We are having no luck whatsoever in finding one thing.

PRAHOC​

Unique to Cambodian cuisine, prahoc is a popular fish-based condiment, made by fermenting whole fish, or chunks of fish, with ground rice and salt. Extremely pungent and, perhaps, more offensive-smelling than the Vietnamese mam tom, this potent sauce is essential in Cambodian cooking. Once added to dishes, it mellows in odor and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. The most common fish used to make this condiment are mud fish, grey featherback and gouramy. Jars of prahoc are available in Asian stores. A small jar will go a long way and keep for months. Generally, prahoc is not used directly from the jra; a small amount is diluted in boiling water and strained. The strained liquid is called tuk prahoc, which is used in practically every Cambodian savory dish.

Can anyone help me out please? Oh btw I did google it for days and days!

 

[SRock]

I tried searching around for you and didn't come up with anything too useful.

Perhaps you need to consider making it for yourself.

Recipes?

Best of luck!

 

[Brodirt]

I use nam pla in my thai and vietnamese cooking and find it readily available. The internets seem o suggest that it is interchangeable with prahoc. It seems all south-east Asian fish sauces are interchangeable in fact.

"Fish sauce, a liquid salt substitute made from small fish fermented in brine, is indispensable in Thailand where it is known as nam pla. In Cambodia, fish sauce is known as prahoc, in Vietnam nuoc mam. Fish sauce is a vital component of spicy hot Laotian food."

or

"These sauces are heavily used in Thailand and Vietnam taking the place soy sauce holds in China and Japan. It is both a flavoring element and provides the salt for the dish it is included in. The great majority of Thai and Vietnamese recipes include at least some fish sauce.

This type of fish sauce is also important in the Philippines, but is less used in other countries of Southeast Asia. Fermented shrimp paste, fish paste and other similar condiments are more prevalent in those countries.

Subst: There is no truly satisfactory substitute for fish sauce. A fermented yellow bean sauce is about as close as you can get, and that would be suitable for strict vegetarians. Lacking that you would have to use plain salt but an important flavor element will be missing.

Thai fish sauce is now common in Southern California because of the many Asian communities here, but it's also being adopted into the famous "California cuisine" - expect it to spread. Here are the national names for it, as best I could find them, anyway.

California - nampla (easier to say than nuocmam)
Thailand - nam pla
Vietnam - nuoc mam
Philippines - patis
Cambodia - prahoc
Malaysia - budu
Myanmar (Burma) - ngan byar yay
Japan - shottsuru
China - yu lu
Fish sauce is made by layering salt and freshly caught anchovies in large barrels or crocks and setting the barrels out in the hot sun for about a year. The clear fish sauce is then drained through a tap at the bottom of the barrel, filtered and diluted with water to the desired strength, usually about 20%, and bottled.

The "first draining" provides the top grade sauce. The barrels may then be refilled with salt water for a second extraction but that "cooking grade" product isn't commonly exported to the US. The process is time consuming and expensive so some manufacturers add hydrolized wheat protein, acids, MSG and other additives to speed fermentation and mask defects. Check the label.

Buying: Look for a perfectly clear light amber color and an ingredient list including only Anchovies (or anchovy extract), water, salt and sugar. Price as a guide is rather unreliable here in Southern California, so it's probably less reliable elsewhere.

There are a couple dozen brands sold in Los Angles. Most come from Thailand and the Philippines but Vietnamese is becoming more common. Some Thai sauces are "Vietnamese style" and have Vietnamese lettering along with Thai. This is said to indicate they are slightly lighter and less salty than normal Thai practice."

 

[galopede]

If it's Thai fish sauce, you should be able to find it in most supermarkets or Asian shops. I Have a large bottle I bought in a local cash & carry.

 

[SHarris]

If you boil down some Worcester sauce add a few extra anchovies you might get something like it although you will have to leave it to ferment for a while.

 

[valmara1971]

Thanks for your efforts gents but it is not fish sauce. It seems to be mashed up pieces of fish, very much like shrimp paste but composed of lumps of fish mashed together. It is made by squashing the fish with bare feet and the whole family joins in the fun. So still no closer. Any Cambodian brothers out there?

 

[valmara1971]

Bump for the day, I could use the help here. I can't make it myself and all the recipes are made FROM prahoc.

 

[DSB]

You might try calling a Cambodian grocery store to see if they will mail you a bottle (depending on your degree of desperation).

KH Supermarket
915 E. Anaheim Street
Long Beach, CA 90813
(562) 599-7240

 

[SHarris]

Give them a ring they might have a supplier they can out you in touch with.

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/5073.htm

 

[valmara1971]

Result, after a worldwide search we received an email today telling us that Rick Stein himself is getting a shipment in next week and we would have some from out of that!!!!!

 

[Fnord5]

Result, after a worldwide search we received an email today telling us that Rick Stein himself is getting a shipment in next week and we would have some from out of that!!!!!

I have a massive SE Asian grocery store down the way from me, I could stop by and check for you if you like.