Ultimate Guide to THAI SAUCES - Fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and more!

One of the most common questions I receive is about all the different salting agents (soy sauce, fish sauce, etc...) I use in my recipes - totally understandable, since there are so many of them! So here's everything you need to know about the 6 salty sauces in the Thai pantry, and hopefully this will clarify any questions or confusions you may have!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this video, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Thank you for watching!

[@harrywillson4623]

PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO OF MIXED VEGTABLES IN OYSTER SAUCE!!! Thai!! Need recipie

[@coffeebeann1]

Omg I love you for making this video 😇😭😌

[@orichalcus7995]

Hello dear! Just how can you eat the fishsauce ?!!! It's not good ewww I watch your videos and my mouth is watering then I decided to try fishsauce ...so when I bought it....regret regret regret😭😭😭

[@jgassman]

@@orichalcus7995 Fish sauce isn't really eaten on its own. I remember the first time I ever had it, someone was using it in a dish of some sort and I was dreading it. But when I tried it, fish sauce became one of my favorite ingredients. I use it in anything Asian essentially. But I've never had it just straight. It's probably horrible.

[@orichalcus7995]

@@jgassman I putted it for spaghetti and just few drops of it,but I really regret

[@dannyspence2390]

A friend of mine lived in southeast Asia for a while (several countries, but spent most of her time in Thailand) and she got me on the kick of using fish sauce in literally ANYTHING savory, it was a great addition to my spaghetti sauce recipe.

[@atlasvibes969]

List 1. White soy/thai soy sauce - mushroom option 2. Seasoning sauce 3. Oyster sauce - keep in fridge 4. Black soy sauce - added color more sweet 5. Fermented soy bean paste 6. Fish sauce.

[@dantehernandez3904]

I happened to click on your videos through another cooking link and I've binge watched for two days now. Thank you so much for this Thai seasonings video. All these sauces are available in Asian grocery stores here. I can't wait to expand my use of Thai seasonings beyond fish sauce, oyster sauce and soy sauce. I'm an instant loyal fan.

[@SageGrecoYoutube]

Mae Pranom Thai Chili Paste (Nam Prik Pao) is my go to not just for traditional Thai cooking but for all kinds of savory, umame cooking. It is the basis of my "Hunan Beef" (not traditional) but oh, so good, spicy, salty, sweet, smoky... We love the stuff!

[@TaiThai]

Very good information on the oyster sauce, I didn't know you're suppose to look for "oysters" as the first ingredient and to keep it in the fridge, I always learn something new from watching your vids :)

[@teebee1204]

Just love her! She’s great. Down to earth, smart, good recipes.

[@anri6060]

What a great video! I've been wanting to explore Asian cuisine, but I was completely overwhelmed by the variety of ingredients that are not readily available in my country. This video helped a lot - I'm excited to try some recipes for myself! Thanks, Pai 😁

[@ggeminii7788]

similar to Cambodian recipes sauce. I use the sweet soy sauce (blue top) when making fried rice. I use Viet Huong Fish Sauce. I was told the squid fish sauce should use when cooking soup only cuz the different taste texture.

[@narprasadgurung5983]

Love your presentation ! Your English expression is clear and sound. I can understand about your expression of the Thai herbs.

[@Bkellyusa]

I just started watching your videos in the last few days. I am very impressed. It is easy to learn from you. I wish you the much continued success. Thanks!

[@pennymeloni7730]

Thank you, that was the best explanation I have ever heard of the salty type sauces. So helpful 😀

[@autry2012]

You are exceptional teacher! I appreciate that you covered most confusing ingredients I wanted to know- especially “ Soy Sauce”. I was especially curious when you say just Soy sauce, i knew you didn’t meat Kikoman Soy sauce. Thank you for the detailed info.

[@s1r3n1971]

Great info! Now I need to go on the hunt for these ingredients!

[@CookingwithDesi]

I love Thai food.! I love the combination of interesting flavors and freshness of the vegetables. Thank u for your teaching and sharing your recipes and knowledge! ❤

[@tdodo3026]

Thank you for this video. Answered lots of my questions. Thank you again.

[@rembautimes8808]

I like Healthy Boy and then the Cooking Lady brand. Thai soy sauce labels have nice artwork. Also leant the importance of assessing the kinematic viscosity of fish sauce

[@boonskyler]

I am glad you do this video, I am Thai but left Thailand long time ago. my son like to cook, when he ask me about sauces use in Thai cooking I never have a good answer for him.

[@tesscjalil]

First of all, I've been following your KZbin channel for the last two weeks. You're an excellent cook and presenter and simply delightful to watch. So far, I have made your Mango Coconut Jelly custard twice, which my family loved. Yesterday, I baked your Caramel Custard Cake, which was equally a hit. I've got a sweet tooth but I can't wait to try more of your wonderful recipes.

[@PailinsKitchen]

Fantastic, thanks for watching!

[@GoonerJak22]

SO pleased you made this particular video and even better SOOOOO pleased that living in the UK i can get every single recommended sauce on Amazon :)

[@shockalockabocka]

Dragonfly Black Soy Sauce has been my fave “dark soy sauce” to use across all Asian cuisines that call for it. I think it’s bc they use actual sugar vs molasses. I think Chinese brands like Pearl River Bridge use molasses, so u have to cook it through to develop the sweetness. Straight out of the bottle dark PRB is bitter and chemically tasting to me. Whereas Dragonfly Black tastes like candied soy sauce straight out of the bottle. I imagine Dragonfly Sweet will make ur teeth crumble upon first bite 😂.

[@andykay5836]

Thanks so much for your informative tutorial! In our house all the sauces you showed are used- but I only knew the basics.Now , thanks to you, I am an "expert"...😃😃 I will shock our maid...😀🙏🙏. Thanks for your wonderful personality and your presentation -it always makes me happy to see you being so cheerful and yet so educational. I really hope, great things are in store for you in the future. chock dee mahk mahk 🙏👍 Andy in Bangkok

[@FronkieTheSaltyRat]

Awesome info, especially about the oyster sauce!!

[@chefjimmarmorales1185]

Thanks a lot chef pailins. i really understand what it is this kind of sauces that we have in our places. interesting.

[@Reinburma]

Hey thank you...I learn how to store them properly and love to play those sauces when I make dishes.

[@andreaculbertson7581]

Finally found Red Boat Fish sauce, in northern California. Haven’t used it yet but am planning on doing a batch of your fried chicken wings - addiction to your chicken wings & have passed your recipe & your KZbin programs. Thank you so much for the education you are passing on to others. Blessings to you & your family. Do lots of mama hugs & kisses to your (soon to be here) son. Take every day to enjoy your child, they grow very fast.

[@DanWebster]

Awesome, been a fan for a long time. so many videos so little time.

[@beggarsbanquet5430]

Thanks Pai, very informative, love you cooking

[@terry2855]

Outstanding video!!! Great explanation. Thank you very much for what you do. I love watching your videos. Keep them coming. I have one request. Could you please make a video dedicated to the different variations of thai dipping sauces and how to make them. Thanks!!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Terry Reiners Interestingly I have a section on dipping sauces in the cookbook I'm working on :)

[@earthwormj789]

PailinsKitchen Can't wait for it to come out!

[@Tabish29]

@@PailinsKitchen did u make a video of it yet?

[@vikramup163]

just decided to experiment with thai cuisine, went and got the basic ingredients. checked out some of your videos. definitely excited to cook! also, you are very charming :)

[@Joe_Murphy-REV_Realty]

Awesome! I use everything here but the fermented soy bean paste. I will try it!

[@Tatjanak1989]

I'm by no means underequipped or -stocked in the kitchen but this video made me go a little overboard at my local thai supermarket yesterday. Bought new oyster sauce and tested it next to the one i have that had NO oysters in it!! Taste taste made me throw out my healthy boy's oyster sauce and stick to the premium stuff. I could truly drink that and i had no idea what i was missing out on. It being so popular makes a lot of sense now. I also got thai-soy sauce which left me a bit underwhelmed, as it was almost like a slightly diluted kikkoman sushi&sashimi-soy sauce. I will just stick to that from now on, as it's cheap, easy to get and a bit more versatile. I also got the mushroom-soy-sauce and that absolutely blew my mind. Another one i could drink and CANNOT wait to try in recipes! It does taste slightly mushroomy, but more than anything, it just has a delicious and deep umami-flavor. I also got the gold-mountain-seasoning-sauce, which i found delicious, but have to see in dishes to understand its true purpose. And i bought the soybean-sauce, that is very reminiscent of cheap white miso - and that's how i'll substitute it, once i finish this bottle. I then - not from this video, but definitely due to your recommendation - got krachai and made it into a paste for jungle curry. not too impressed thus far, but i froze 70% of that ingredient and will experiment with it a little bit. Overall i can highly recommend the mushroom soy sauce, the oyster sauce with oysters as the main ingredient and probably the golden mountain seasoning sauce. I'm really impressed with thai flavors and have to say some of the substitutes don't do them justice. So thank you for your imput. I can't wait to cook your recipes with the CORRECT ingredients from now on!

[@mimaesthetic2517]

Omg, i bought that oyster sauce after i ran out of my old one, i was worried cos when i bought it, my phone was dead and i couldn't read any reviews but the price was amazing (tooo amazing) for 600ml compared to the tiny bottle i used to buy from major supermarkets, anyway, came home and read raving online reviews then i see it's the same soy sauce you have and i was sold. Used it for the second time cooking today and decided to taste it on it's own... oh my days... the previous oyster sauce i used tasted like chemicals compared to this, didn't realise this is what oyster sauce should taste like!

[@jameyjohnson4114]

Thanks for the explanation! very helpful.

[@suraja1988]

Hello sister🙏🙏 I'm learning so many things from you,,😊😊 thank you very much

[@angelicadestine4624]

thanks for passionately explaining things, I almost used a regular soy sauce if you didnt tell me. not many thai cooking vids do tell this information :)

[@1tinac]

Thanks for sharing. Very helpful.

[@papingobebeto8841]

thanks for the information. very educative

[@suezotiger]

I couldn't understand why my Thai food didn't taste like what I've had in restaurants, turns out I wasn't using nearly enough fish sauce because I was scared of it being overpowering

[@pratimanikam5913]

Thanks pailin for share info about sauces

[@peterstang]

Very informative, thank you!

[@bodegagabrielligabriel429]

gracias por la explicacion!

[@aliceadler4569]

Thank you. I will use this info to stock my kitchen.

[@in2logos]

such a good cook and so lovely too! Your husband is a lucky man!

[@pinapina3016]

Thank you for this video! Can you make a video of the best types of thai sriracha sauce?

[@yeeboonng7545]

Thank you for your great introduction. I wish to know more about the function of fish sauce and the taste profile of fish sauce as I seldom use fish sauce at home however I love Thai food very much. I wish to increase my knowledge how to use it.

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

Here you go :) hot-thai-kitchen.com/fish-sauce-101/

[@shantayhightower8850]

I love the healthy boy mushroom soy sauce. It's fantastic.

[@90sarcadefighter5]

Superb as always Thank you !

[@zsazsazsusy]

Today I bought the same soy sauce, black soy sauce and bean paste in your video. I also bought the sweet radish, the shrimp paste, Thai basil, and Thai tea. I think I have all the crucial ingredients for making Thai food now. >< Hopefully I can make the same Thai food as the ones in Thailand. It is quite hard for a Korean person to make Thai dishes because these ingredients are not common to Korean people. Thank you for telling me where I could buy them. :) Even though the location was really scary, the market was super clean and organized.

[@clueless-lassi-joins-internet]

*Swadee-Kha, Thank You! So Much!* 🙏🏼💕

[@riptiki]

For me, the "Golden Mountain" is like a concentrated vegetable bouillon, which is quite salty. "See Ew Dum" is similar to a browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet, Gravy Master, etc.)

[@CreachterZ]

I’m not sure from your comment if that’s a good thing or not. ;) I absolutely love Golden Mountain.

[@david.hirsch4235]

PERFECT! Thank You!

[@bryantdorsey9074]

Great Video!!!

[@effie924]

I am really glad you did this I didn't know what black soy sauce was :)

[@failtolawl]

The restaurant I work at uses all of these sauces in different forms. I guess we're both doing it right - although to be fair, there is only a select amount of Thai brands getting exported to the U.S.

[@melbajennifersabas9935]

Thank you Pai.

[@dawmaypo7387]

Thank you. So interesting.

[@marugrunthal]

Great explanation! I love your videos. I have a question, how can I replace oyster and fish sauce?, Is there any similar vegetarian sauce out there? Thanks!

[@danacampbell2606]

You have a teacher's heart

[@natsyoutube]

Fantastic. Thank you very much : )

[@kombinatsiya6000]

It's crazy that these exact brands are available in so many countries.

[@coffeebeann1]

🤨......... lol Uh ok 😒

[@dahaniraveindra2552]

Seriously though, I learned a lot from my friend from Isaan. Thai sauce are the most flavorful!

[@annieeelovesyou]

Im binging on your old videos. I didnt realize Golden Mountain wasn’t soy sauce , I grew up using it as soy sauce lol

[@ivanmathias4202]

Excellent video, even years later! It would be awesome if you could clearly state the products you describe which contain flavor enhancers. In that instance, I won't get Golden Mountain because of it, so would appreciate an alternative if possible?

[@msstephaniexiong]

Great video

[@nofunatall4094]

I love fermented black beans, oyster sauce, and black vinegar.

[@stevenduarte5201]

Very helpful thanks

[@richardkristianto2408]

In Indonesian cuisine, people using sweet soy sauce a lot. For dipping and cooking

[@rumination608]

very interesting. thanks!

[@danielgill797]

When I went shopping before seeing this video I actually got health boy brand oyster sauce. I was standing there looking at all they labels looking for Thailand. Quite luck to have a massive Chinese food supermarket. Anyone in the UK might now it. Its call wing yip.

[@cristinacabrera8462]

Thanks for sharing

[@andrewt248]

The Healthy Boy mushroom soy sauce is SO GOOD.

[@barbryll8596]

Thank you so much for sauce information!! I love Thai food very much. Soo good and freinds I cook for love it too. Could you please tell me if regular brown sugar will substitute for palm sugar in pad Thai? And also can I use shallots always in Thai cooking instead of regular onion? Thank you so much and happy life to you!!

[@mopetemusic]

Video is right on time for me. I was wondering if I could use fish sauce as a sub for oyster sauce in fried rice! Thanks!!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Hi Adam here! ... and I think you're going to have to ask her that one directly as she doesn't see the comments on here once the post is more than a week old (as per her note above). You can check out options to get hold of her here hot-thai-kitchen.com/contact . (personally I'd say they would both be good but the tastes are quite different) Cheers!

[@xxxTHAIGERxxx]

Wow Englisch in perfection and thank you very much. 👍

[@sooner61]

I should have seen this video before my trip to the Asian market yesterday. I am ready for the next time! Thank you.

[@Tbluebird11]

Hi Pailin, I really enjoying your cooking video a lot! You are one of the best show on here. I have a question on life span of Soybean Paste after opened and keeping it the refrigerator? On the bottle they haven't put the expire date on it. Thank you!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Hi! It’ll last indefinitely. If it looks good and smells good, it’s fine :)

[@Tbluebird11]

@@PailinsKitchen Thank you so much for your respond, sincerely appreciate for it.

[@fayedelasflores2112]

Do you have any suggestions for us unfortunate celiac sufferers? I use tamari in place of regular soy sauce, and use Bragg's aminos for more complex flavors, but am so far out of luck with finding substitutions for things like oyster sauce, etc. It would be so cool if you made a video showing how to make dupes from scratch! I love your videos, btw. Binge-watching right now :-)

[@2fluffy_puppies]

hello Mrs. Hot Thai😁 really like to say i enjoy your videos & recipes... i would like to ask if your soy sauces a good substitute for salt health wise?

[@Ciciphou]

My favorite is the golden mountain soy sauce. I put it on with a bowl of cooked rice or plain rice porridge with a fried egg and hot sauce on top. Mmmmm that's my comfort food growing up lol

[@kittykatt3212]

My mom like 3 crab fish sauce because it's not as salty. Some fish sauce is really really Salty. I would recommend you go to a really big Asian market to buy the small fish sauce bottles. With is smaller than half the size of the regular

[@socratesthecabdriver]

the mold !!! i got the mold once, i had a really big bottle xaxaxaaa still added it to my food first cleaned the rim of the bottle cause thats where a caught the accumulation ,if you clear the mold the right way there is nothing wrong with it.. after i emptied it i made sure i got one that fit my fridge xxaxaaaa

[@jif.6821]

Thank you for this awesome informative presentation (and your lovely smile). I love my Sriracha, and Mae Ploy chili sauces. Will you be making a chili sauce tutorial too? You're the best, keep up the great work! 8-)

[@rgeryeefong5359]

very thorough

[@davidthomas6094]

I'm grateful for video! Fish sauce question: here in USA there is an upscale brand called Red Boat, in at least two protein levels, and it seems to me to be darker than what you recommend when you say fish sauce should be translucent. Have you tried it?

[@ginbing123]

Pai, did you get the Golden Mountain Sauce at TnT? I went to our Edmonton TnT and could not find it there!

[@gerardfrost1310]

I've been using the Japanese soy sauce to make Thai dishes. Now I know I should use Thai brands if I want that specific flavor.

[@marie-evelaplante6375]

Hello pailin, do you know a comparable replacement for the dark soy sauce you used, i live in montreal and can only find the blue cap, not the orange. Thanks you in advanced

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

Thank you!

[@MrPaprcka]

Excelent video, very informative. BTW: Lovely earrings :)

[@carmendawnallan8871]

Thanks for this,😊.👍 ♡

[@Trailtraveller]

Funny, I use the same sauces.. keep the vids coming :-)

[@douglawson8937]

I'd love to learn a few different dipping sauces that you see in regional areas. Most all have chilis but some are sweet, spicy, fish saucy with vinegar and others are more pungent yet spicy etc. I don't know what the differences would be between a sauce like that in Thailand versus one like that in say the Szechuan province of China.

[@ShelbyA2LA]

I use the black sweet soy sauce , to add color in my stir fry noodles .

[@theIndianculinaryArtkitchen]

Thank you so much dear Kia love you

[@JesusLovesYouSoMuch1]

I am in love with your videos! Kub Koon mak na ka! Xoxo p.s You na rak mak 😊

[@peecao]

I really love you!

[@joanniieeb]

I have exactly all these sauces and many thai peoole out where i live hahaha, practially the same brands as well. Ps i actually didnt know we have 'seasoning sauce' i thought my mum was a 'soy sauce hoarder' (because we have the maggi, golden mountain and healthy boy sauces)

[@knit2sip24]

Hello Pai, do any of these sauces contain gluten? I know that wheat is used in the processing of some soy sauces.

[@shayantani81]

Hey Pai , how good is the dragon fly brand thin soy sauce . Can i substitute it for the healthy boy thin soy sauce for pad see ew ? Thanks love your videos

[@novenadreamwalker960]

Shayantani pal yes, it’s not the brand but the type of light soy sauce (thin) so you can substitute if available.

[@kimseanmormmorm2474]

Shayantani pal v