Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 catfish or seabass (gutted and cleaned but left whole)
  • 1.5 litres water
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 4 cloves garlic (peeld but left whole)
  • 5 cm ginger (sliced)
  • 1 lemongrass (bruised)
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 5 cm ginger
  • 2 lemongrass (sliced in rings)
  • 2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • 1-2 tsp chilli paste or chilli powder (to taste)
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 onion (quatered)
  • 1-2 Tbsp toasted chickpea flour
  • 1-2 Tbsp toasted rice flour
  • 400 - 600 g fresh rice noodles or equivalent dried
  • crispy fried shallots
  • 4 hardboiled eggs
  • lime wedges
  • finely sliced green beans
  • beansprouts (fresh or blanched)
  • 4 spring onions (thinly sliced)
  • fresh chillies (thinly sliced)
  • some chilli (optional)

Instruction

  • Place all the aromatics from "A" (the soup stock) and the water in a large saucepan on high heat.
  • When the water is boiling, immerse the whole fish in, don't worry if it's not fully submerged. Simmer for 10 minutes, turning the fish over if it's not fully covered.
  • Using a pair of tongs, take the fish out and leave to cool slightly on a plate, then flake the flesh off and leave aside.
  • Strain the stock into a clean saucepan and leave until needed.
  • Place the onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass into a food chopper and zap it into a coarse grind. Or chop everything finely by hand, if you prefer.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok on medium heat and fry the chopped onion mix along with the chilli paste/powder and turmeric for a few minutes until you get a lovely aroma from the mix.
  • Then add the flaked fish to this mix and cook for a couple more minutes for the fish to absorb all those lovely flavours. Then take off heat.
  • Bring the soup stock back to boil and add the above fish and aromatics mix and stir to mix.
  • Mix the chickpea and rice flours with a little water to form a paste and add to the soup. Add the salt and fish sauce and leave everything to simmer for about 20 minutes. You could thicken it further to taste, with more of the flour, if you like. Don't forget to check seasoning and adjust accordingly with more fish sauce if necessary.