Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Good Food

    Good Food

    Fish Sauce Makes a Splash

    Twist open a bottle of fish sauce and take a deep whiff. There's no denying the funkiness of this condiment. As a staple of southeast Asian cooking, it's perhaps the best example of the transformative properties of umami. And now, fish sauce has begun infiltrating the cooking repertoires of even western-trained chefs learning to embrace the funk.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Evan Kleiman • Nov 13, 2015 • 1 min read

    Twist open a bottle of fish sauce and take a deep whiff. There's no denying the funkiness of this condiment. As a staple of southeast Asian cooking, it's perhaps the best example of the transformative properties of umami. And now, fish sauce has begun infiltrating the cooking repertoires of even western-trained chefs learning to embrace the funk.

    Veronica Meewes is an Austin-based journalist, food writer and author of The Fish Sauce Cookbook: 50 Umami-Packed Recipes from Around the Globe.

    We've got a recipe from her book for Buddha's Hand Sundae on the Good Food blog.

    Music: "So Good" by Valerius

    The full episode

    6 of 7
    The Rhône Ranger, Mexican Sushi, Fish Sauce Makes a Splash
    1. 0:32The Rhône Ranger
    2. 11:01Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen
    3. 22:36Jonathan Gold Reviews Maude
    4. 31:53The Sweet Flavor of Mexico in the US
    5. 37:51Mexican Sushi Is a Thing
    6. 44:54Fish Sauce Makes a SplashYou’re reading this
    7. 51:28Market Report
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Evan Kleiman

      host 'Good Food'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gillian Ferguson

      Supervising Producer, Good Food

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Laryl Garcia

      Senior Director, Good Food

    • KCRW placeholder

      Camellia Tse

      Producer, Good Food

      CultureFood & Drink

    The full episode

    6 of 7
    The Rhône Ranger, Mexican Sushi, Fish Sauce Makes a Splash
    1. 0:32The Rhône Ranger
    2. 11:01Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen
    3. 22:36Jonathan Gold Reviews Maude
    4. 31:53The Sweet Flavor of Mexico in the US
    5. 37:51Mexican Sushi Is a Thing
    6. 44:54Fish Sauce Makes a SplashYou’re reading this
    7. 51:28Market Report
    Back to Good Food