Fish Sauce

A light pour for pad thai, a bolder bottle behind the pad krapow, a fermented split for the som tam station. น้ำปลา is the spine of a Thai kitchen; every soup, stir-fry, and dipping condiment passes through a bottle of it at least once. A case of 12 × 23oz disappears in a busy week, and the cook on the line knows which bottle each dish wants without checking the label.