Description
Spicy, umami broth with slippery noodles, a perfect egg, and a lime wedge. Comfort food at its finest!
Ingredients
Units
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- Rice vermicelli noodles
- Hard-boiled eggs (halved)
- Chopped cilantro (to garnish)
- Lime wedges (to serve)
- 1 Head of fish (if you had to choose, catfish is fine)
- 1 Lemongrass stem (bruised)
- 2 Garlic cloves (bashed)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) cooked chickpeas (mashed (i used jarred jovial))
- 1 Red onion (quartered)
- 1/2 Red onion (chopped)
- Fish sauce (to taste)
- 1 lbs (680 g) Catfish fillet (cleaned and de-boned)
- 3 lemongrass stems (finely sliced, white part only)
- 2-4 red chilis (to taste)
- 1/2 Red onion (rough chopped)
- 4 Garlic cloves (diced)
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 1/2 cups (118 ml) grape seed oil
- 2 tsp shrimp paste
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
Instructions
For the broth
- Place the fish head in a large pot with the lemongrass, garlic, red onion quarters, and turmeric.
- Pour in enough cold water to cover the head and bring to a boil.
- Skim off any muck, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Keep the heat low, and gently lower the fish fillets into the broth and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the fillets and flake them into chunky pieces using forks. Set aside. Keep the broth pot on low.
- While the broth is simmering, make the paste:
- In a mortar, pound the lemongrass, chilies, chopped onions, garlic, and ginger into a smooth paste. A food processor may also be used.
- In a saucepan, heat up the grape seed oil. Add in the paste and sauté for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp paste, turmeric, and paprika.
- Add in the flaked fish; mix gently and cook on low for an additional 5 minutes.
- Return the fish mixture to the pot of broth.
- Add the mashed chickpeas and chopped red onions. Season with fish sauce to taste.
- Stir to combine, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
To serve
- Cook vermicelli noodles according to package instructions and divvy them into soup bowls.
- Ladle soup over noodles, ensuring chunks of flaked fish are included.
- Top with a half hard-boiled egg and a generous amount of chopped cilantro.
- Spritz with lime juice.
Notes
- For a richer broth, roast the fish head and aromatics (lemongrass, garlic, onion) before simmering.
- If you don’t have grape seed oil, substitute with vegetable or canola oil.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently to avoid overcooking the fish.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Burmese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 700
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 30
- Cholesterol: 150