Da Nang–Style Fish Cake and Vegetable Vermicelli Noodle Soup

Name: Da Nang–Style Fish Cake and Vegetable Vermicelli Noodle Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 7 oz (200 g) clown or featherback knifefish paste (cá thát lát nạo); 7 oz (200 g) clown or featherback knifefish paste (cá thát lát nạo); 7 oz (200 g) clown or featherback knifefish paste (cá thát lát nạo); 7 oz (200 g) catfish paste; 3½ oz (100 g) pork fatback, diced; 2 scallions (white parts only), minced; 2 tbsp (30 ml) all-purpose flour; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 egg; 3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil, plus more for greasing; 16 cups (4 qt, or 4 L) chicken, fish, or pork broth; 16 cups (4 qt, or 4 L) chicken, fish, or pork broth; 16 cups (4 qt, or 4 L) chicken, fish, or pork broth; 1 lb (454 g) pumpkin, unpeeled and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes; 14 oz (400 g) bamboo shoots, shredded (see Shopping Tip); 3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges; 10½ oz (300 g) pineapple, peeled, eyes and core removed, and sliced; 10½ oz (300 g) green cabbage, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces; ¼ cup (60 ml) Annatto Oil; Sugar, to taste; Salt, to taste; Chicken stock powder, to taste; Fish sauce, to taste; 3⅓ lb (1.5 kg) fresh or cooked rice vermicelli noodles; 3⅓ lb (1.5 kg) fresh or cooked rice vermicelli noodles; ½ cup (50 g) chopped scallion; 1 cup (60 g) chopped cilantro; 1 head leaf lettuce, leaves torn into small pieces or shredded; 1 head leaf lettuce, leaves torn into small pieces or shredded; 3 sprigs each of herbs such as mint, perilla, or Asian basil, stems removed and roughly chopped

Preparation info

Yield:
6 to 8
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 30

Appears in

Simply Pho

By Helen Le

Published 2017

About

This soup (bún chả cá) is one of the signature dishes of Da Nang. A variety of vegetables go into this broth, which is very tasty and healthy. It is best to use fish, chicken, or pork broth to prepare the soup, but using plain water is fine, too. The sweetness of the soup comes mostly from the vegetables. Not peeling the pumpkin keeps the cubes in shape even after they’re cooked in the soup for a long time. We don’t want the cubes to break up and make the soup cloudy.

Ingredients

Asia
Vietnam
Da Nang
Soup

Ingredients

Method