Nam Pla as we often spell it is actually pronounced as "nam bplah" it is those combibations of letters to form the real Thai sounds. One can not cook Thai food without fish sauce/nam pla which literally means "fish water." Real fish sauce is the moisture in the flesh of fish or essense that is extracted in the process of a salting and fermentation. Fish sauce is made from small fish that otherwise would not be used for much other than bait. These fish can either be freshwater or saltwater fish, however in light of today's pollution of fresh water streams and dams most fish sauce is made from the ocean fish in Southeast Asia. Fish sauce is a salty fish smell brown clear liquid that is the number one flavouring ingredient in Thai cooking as well as in the countries of Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines. It is used much like salt in other cuisines or like soy sauce in Chinese and Japanese cooking. A good-quality fish sauce has a distinct aroma and flavor all its own. It is a must in a Thai pantry. I could not cook Thai dishes without fish sauce. My favorite brand of fish Sauce is Golden Boy. Squid and King Crab brands are OK , but I never recommend Three Crabs Brands due to it's chemical fermentation, and according to Thai Cook book author and teaher, my friend Kasma Loha-unchit says "as well as being flavor-enhanced, processed food product. According to the label, hydrolyzed wheat protein and fructose are among the ingredients – both are additives that have not been adequately time-tested for their potential long-term effects on health. Their inclusion suggests that the sauce is made through the process of hydrolysis, whereby a catalyst (sometimes from chemical sources) is added to hasten fermentation, allowing the company to produce large quantities of the product in shorter periods of time than would be required in natural fermentation. "