Thai food just won't taste right without fish sauce.
Have you been to Pok Pok in Portland? We went there and purchased the cookbook... the recipes i've tried have been great. The wings in particular are fantastic. I was impressed by how similar mine were to those at the restaurant... i take it as a sign of a well written recipe rather than any sort of skill on my part.
I have been meaning to try this recipe:
https://wearenotfoodies.com/the-secret-to-making-restaurant-style-curry-at-home/