This fresh grouper fillet fish noodle soup named Bun Ca is originated from Vietnam and is one of the popular Vietnamese noodle dishes among the locals.
The name, Bun Ca which can be referred as noodles for Bun and fillet fish for Ca, is perfect for the locals of Vietnam to consume this dish during the colder months as Bun Ca provides a hearty, healthy and belly-warming dish.
The most essential part of this dish is the broth, which is made from simmering the juice of the heads or bones of the fish. It gives a rather delicate, flavourful and light taste of the broth when tasting it.
Ingredients (3 to 4 servings):
- 5 kilograms of fish bones or head
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes
- 5 kilogram of fresh grouper fish fillets
- 1-inch knob ginger
- 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
- 1 small white onion
- 7 kilogram of noodles
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- 1 and a half tablespoon of fish sauce
- 8 cups of chicken or fish stock
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika powder and black pepper
Directions:
- Remove the skin of garlic by mashing the cloves of garlic. Mince the garlic into thin slices. Perform this same action for the white onion and ginger.
- Rinse the fish fillets using cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Then, cut the large fish fillets into sizable portions.
- Mix with the fish sauce, black pepper, sugar and paprika powder into a bowl. Coat the fish fillets with the combined mixture of marinated juice and place the fish fillets aside for approximately 5 minutes.
- Cut the tomatoes into 8 wedges for each tomato.
- Heat the cooking wok and add vegetable oil into the cooking wok. As soon as the cooking wok starts to get heated, pour and stir fry the minced garlic, onions, ginger and tomato paste for 15 seconds.
- Add the marinated fish fillets and use the wok spatula to flip the fish fillets to cook evenly on all sides. Then, add the tomatoes into the cooking wok and cook for about 2 minutes to soften them.
- Boil and add 8 cups of chicken or fish stock into a large saucepan and mix with the noodles. Then, add the fish and tomatoes together into the saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped red chillies, cilantro, bean sprouts or mint leaves as garnishing for the noodle dish.