Bun Cha Ca - Vietnamese fried fish cake noodle soup
Vietnamese Noodles made from fried fish cakes soup (Bun Cha Ca) is delicious and filling. The fish cake that has been fried is slightly crispy on the outside and soft inside. Clear broth not heavy in its body, yet it's packed with umami.
Ingredients
The broth is for (see the notes on substitutions)
- 6 cups of water
- 2 pieces 4"x4" kombu
- 3 cups katsuobushi
- 12 oz ripe tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
Fish cakes for the cake
- 1 walleye fillet of 1 lb (or any other white fish that is firm fillet) (no bone, and no skin)
- 1/4 cup dill
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 4 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- A little bit of salt
- black pepper
Other ingredients
- dried vermicelli noodles
- Scallion, finely chopped (for garnishing)
- Dill Finely cut (for garnishing)
- cilantro minced finely (for garnishing)
- More olive oil to fry
Instructions
- 1 to 2 hours before cooking, dry the fish and place fish fillets in the freezer for a few hours to keep them cool and firm.
- Use a damp newspaper towel and gently cleanse the kombu. Don't wipe clean the white powder that is on the surface of kombu it is a rich source of umami. Combine kombu with water in a saucepan and set on a medium-high temperature. Bring it to a barely simmer, then remove the kombu.
- Include katsuobushi in the broth and bring it to a boil , then switch off the heat. It should sit for about 10 minutes before removing the katsuobushi out of the broth.
- Then turn on the heating. Quarter tomatoes. Add tomatoes as well as one and a half tablespoons of the fish sauce. When the broth begins to boil, turn down the heat, cover the pan and allow it to simmer for a while.
- While the kombu is simmering in the second step above, remove the fish fillets out of the freezer and cut into smaller pieces. Put the fish along with all other ingredients needed to make a the fish cakes in food processors, and make a sticky mix.
- Transfer the fish paste from the food processor into mixing bowl. Knead for approximately 2 minutes until you have an even, smooth and springy mixture of fish paste.
- When you steep katsuobushi in the stock as described in 3. above step, you need to take 1/2 teaspoon or 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and form thin patties.
- Affix a frying pan to medium-high temperature. Incorporate oil and fry fish cakes until the edges are crisp and the side are golden (about 2 minutes on each side). Transfer onto a plate covered with paper towels.
- Vermicelli noodles should be prepared according to the instructions on the package.
- Test the broth and adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Serve vermicelli noodles in a serving bowls, then top with fried fish cakes , Dill, scallion and cilantro. Pour hot broth over the noodles and take your time to.
Notes
The most popular broth to cook this soup is salmon (or pork) bone broth that is flavored with tomatoes. The broth I use in this recipe is tomato dashi-based and is similar to the traditional broth, but is more simple and faster to prepare. You can also make use of chicken or pork stock to substitute.