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Preparation
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
Bún num bò chóc is a special noodle dish from Cambodia, featuring a rich and fragrant broth made from bò hóc fish sauce, fresh and sweet snakehead fish, and the unique flavors of Vietnamese balm and fresh turmeric. The dish is also appealing due to the harmonious combination of fresh noodles and refreshing herbs. Join Tastetutorial.com into the kitchen to learn how to cook this soupy dish.
Ingredients for Bún num bò chóc For 4 – 6 people
Snakehead fish 1 fish (preferably choose fish over 1.5 – 2kg) Coconut milk 400 ml Bò hóc fish sauce 200 gr Vietnamese balm 2 bulbs Lemongrass 6 stalks Fresh turmeric 1 bulb Ginger 1 bulb Red onion 4 bulbs Fresh chili 3 fruits Palm sugar 50 gr (1 small piece) Fresh noodles a little Chúc 1 fruit Chúc leaves 3 pieces (can be omitted) Garlic 4 cloves Roasted peanuts 80 gr Common spices a little (seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate/ salt/…) Accompanying vegetables a little (water lily flowers/ shredded banana blossom/ bean sprouts/ long beans/ cilantro/ basil leaves/ shredded water spinach/…)
Raw Material Image
- Large capacity: Diameter 28cm, suitable for cooking broth, boiling chicken, or preparing dishes for 4-6 people.
- Durable material: 3-layer stainless steel helps to quickly transfer heat, retain heat well, and does not burn food.
- Convenient: Transparent glass lid for easy observation, sturdy handle, and safe to use.
How to Prepare Bun Num Bo Choc
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Boil the Fish
After purchasing the snakehead fish, you will need to clean it thoroughly. You should choose larger fish to have more meat in the fillet, which will make the dish tastier.
Put a pot on the stove, add 2.5 liters of water, add 200ml of coconut milk, and half a block of palm sugar, then bring to a boil. When the water boils, add 3 smashed stalks of lemongrass and add the fish to boil for 15 minutes until cooked.
Tip:- If using freshly squeezed coconut milk at home, you can use the diluted coconut milk to cook the broth.
- If you do not have coconut milk, you can still substitute it with regular water or fresh coconut water. However, the dish will lack the characteristic richness of coconut milk.
After the fish is cooked, you take it out and remove all the bones. The fish meat will be divided into 2 parts, one part to mix with the seasoning for the broth, and the other part, the meaty fillet, will be added to the noodles when eating.
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Pound the fish
Rhizome, garlic, shallots, turmeric, and knotweed should be peeled and chopped finely. You slice the lemongrass thinly and scrape the outer skin of the chuc fruit.
Add the ingredients including rhizome, garlic, shallots, turmeric, knotweed, lemongrass, chuc fruit skin, and peanuts into a mortar and pound them until crushed. Next, add the shredded fish meat, continuing to pound and mix it with the spices until fluffy and well combined.
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Cook the broth
After removing the cooked fish, you should also take out the lemongrass and chuc leaves from the pot. Put the fermented fish sauce into a sieve, place the sieve into the broth pot, and gently stir to dissolve the sauce, mixing it with the broth.
Tip: Depending on your family’s taste, you can adjust the amount of fish sauce used.Add 1.5 tablespoons of monosodium glutamate and 2 tablespoons of seasoning powder to the broth, then add all the fish that has been marinated with spices, stirring well to dissolve.
Bring the broth mixture to a boil, then taste again to see if it suits your family’s palate. Add another 200ml of coconut milk, stir well, and cook for another minute before turning off the heat.
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Enjoy
When eating Bun Num Bo Choc, you will put the noodles in a bowl, add fresh vegetables like shredded water spinach, shredded banana flower, bean sprouts, cut string beans, and lotus flowers,… on top, then add a few pieces of fish, and finally pour the broth over and enjoy right away.
Tips for preparing delicious and authentic num bò hóc noodles
- If you can’t find mắm bò hóc, you can substitute it with Vietnamese mắm ruốc, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Ngải bún and fresh turmeric are important ingredients that create the distinctive flavor of the dish, so try not to skip them.
- If you are not used to the characteristic smell of mắm bò hóc, you can sauté the mắm with a bit of shallots, lemongrass, and ngải bún before filtering it into the broth. This helps the smell of the mắm to blend and become more pleasant.
- Coconut cream should be added gradually and seasoned to taste. If you don’t like it too rich, you can reduce the amount of coconut cream or substitute it with unsweetened fresh milk.
So you have completed the num bò chóc noodles rich in Cambodian flavors. Enjoy it with your family and share the results with your friends. Don’t forget to follow the cooking news page of Tastetutorial.com to learn more delicious dishes.
