Bun Mam (Vietnamese Fermented Fish Noodle Soup)
This Bun Mam recipe is the earthiest seafood gumbo you'll ever have. Dive into a deep fermented fish broth loaded with the most incredible toppings!
- Prep time
- 1 hr
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 10 L / 42 US cups chicken and pork stock
- 2 jars fermented fish ((or 1 for first timers))
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 90 g / 0.2 lb rock sugar ((or to taste))
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tsp salt ((or to taste))
- 4 stalks lemongrass
- 5 cloves garlic
- chili ((optional))
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 5 tbsp cooking oil
- eggplant
- cooked prawns
- squid
- ling fish ((or any boneless white fish))
- crackling pork
- thick rice noodles (bún)
- water ((for boiling the noodles and soaking the eggplant))
- 1 tsp salt ((for soaking the eggplants))
- seasoned fish paste ((we get it from our local Asian supermarket or fish monger))
- large chili
- 2 tbsp cooking oil ((add more if pan is too dry while cooking))
- cabbage
- purple cabbage
- bean sprouts
- Chinese celery
- garlic chives
- lime
- fresh chili ((optional))
Instructions
- 1
Divide the lemongrass into 10cm (4") segments and smash them until split.
- 2
Heat up a pot on medium and pour the fermented fish, adding the smashed lemongrass. Cook everything until it becomes a paste.
- 3
Turn the heat up for the pot and sift the cooked paste in by pouring ladles of broth through the sieve.
- 4
Continue sifting in batches until the bones are white, then discard them.
- 5
Season the Bun Mam soup with rock sugar, chicken bouillon powder and salt.
- 6
Cut the lemongrass into smaller chunks (roughly 1cm/0.4" long) for the food processor. If you're not using a food processor, finely chop the lemongrass.
- 7
Blitz the lemongrass until fine and finely chop the garlic and chilis.
- 8
Heat up a small pot on low-medium heat and pour the oil in. Cook the garlic, chili, lemongrass and chicken bouillon powder until golden.
- 9
Add 1/2 cup of the lemongrass blend to the soup broth for added flavor and save the remaining lemongrass as a garnish.Tip: If you find the lemongrass to be too dry, add 1 tbsp oil at a time as it browns.
- 10
Slice the squid from top to bottom in the center. Do not cut all the way through.
- 11
Open the squid up using the newly formed cut and pull to remove the hard pen (a squid's internal support) along with the rest of the the insides.
- 12
Discard the pen and remove the ink sac by cutting it off.
- 13
Run the knife over the body of the opened squid to scrape off the loose membrane.
- 14
Lightly score the squid by making thin slits in a cross-hatch pattern.
- 15
Slice the squid into 1cm (0.4") segments then plate.
- 16
Run a knife from the top of the chili to the bottom to make a long cut. Use a teaspoon to hollow it out, removing any seeds.Note: If you like your food spicy, you can leave the seeds in there.
- 17
Use a teaspoon to stuff the chilis until full.
- 18
Pour the oil into a heated pan on medium heat and cook the chilis for 5 minutes on each side or until the filling is cooked.
- 19
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles for 10 minutes or until al dente. Make sure to stir the noodles to stop any from sticking to the pot.
- 20
Drain and run under cold water until completely cool, then set aside in a colander to drip dry.
- 21
Prepare the toppings by slicing the fish and crackling pork and deshelling the prawns.
- 22
Cut the eggplant into chunks and sit them in water with 1 tsp salt to slow down the browning process.
- 23
Bring the Bun Mam broth back to a boil and add the eggplants in to soften, then wash and slice the fresh garnish.
- 24
Cook the seafood in the broth.
- 25
Assemble your bowl with noodles, seafood, crackling pork, eggplant, stuffed chili, fresh garnish, lemongrass and a squeeze of lime juice!