Is there a Vegetarian equivalent to Nam Pla? (Thai fish sauce)?

Question

I'm making a Thai dish for my veggie friends, and normally when I use meat or fish I use nam pla, a type of salty fermented fish sauce - only a little because the taste is strong but if definitely adds a little something to the dish. I can't use Worcester sauce that has anchovies in it, and I'm already using soy sauce - I was just wondering if there was anything else I could use, the dish tastes a little 'flat' without it.

Answer 1

There are vegetarian Worcestershire sauces -- both Edward and Sons ("The Wizard") and Annie's Naturals make them.

Answer 2

Here is a recipe of Fishless Fish sauce

Make: About 1/2 cup

Time : 15 minutes

Base on the classic fish sauces of Southest Asia- Thai nam pla is the best known - but without the fish. The sea green ( dulse) helps maintains the salty pungency of the real thing, but if you don't have any handy, you wont go far wrong by combining the remain ingredients.

1 tablespoon crumbled or ground dulse

1 clove garlic, minced

2 table spoon of light soy sauce

4 limes

1 table spoon palm sugar  or brown sugar

1> Whisk the dulse, garlic and soy with 2 table spoons water in a small bowl

2> grate the zest of 2 limes into the same bowl, then juice all 4 limes and add the juice. Add palm sugar ( or brown sugar) and stir well, Let sit 5 minutes for flavor to meld

Answer 3

Try terriyaki sauce I used it by accident to marinate something once and it turned out very successful so it now has pride of place in my larder.

It's suitable for vegetarians.

Answer 4

There is a vegan/vegetarian version of nam pla (or nuoc nam) in some Asian stores. I've seen them in San Francisco and Los Angeles but don't know in other parts of the US. You can try this though:

  a minimal amount of light soy sauce  but add additional salt and solids of two vegetarian ingredients, salted yellow beans and fermented tofu (bean curd), a pungent product of cubed tofu pickled in brine, sometimes with chili added.

Answer 5

I'm curious to see if anyone has an answer, but Nam Pla is one of those things that just doesn't have a substitute - the flavor is just too unique.