ridiculous hungry: Canh Bun Ca - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup With Fish...

"Mama, If you made the snail soup with tomatoes but put fish in it instead, what would you call it?" <send>

<open> "It would be: Canh Bun Ca. Canh: Soup; Bun: Vermicelli; Ca: Fish."

"Is that your literal translation or is that what the dish is normally called?" <send>

<open>"I heard people make this kind of soup. It is not my translation. Usually, we put some kind of vegetables called "rau rut" in it. I saw that vegetable only once in a Vietnamese market. How is Honeydew?"

"Honeydew is a wreck from being left alone at home for a few hours over the weekend so now she's following me everywhere I go. Other than that, she's good. :)" <send>

<end emails>

Canh Bun Ca. (KKANG boohn KKAH).

That's the recipe I'm sharing with you today. Rice noodles in a deliciously layered tomato broth with pieces of white fish poached in that broth (though shrimp would be just as delicious) and accompanied by assorted greens and herbs to be eaten with spoonfuls of noodle and soup for flavor and crunch. Wedges of lime and sambal oelek on the side for added zip and spice (but sriracha would also be tasty).

Truly a hair of the dog antidote for the still and somewhat oppressive heat that visited us yesterday.

By now, you might already know that mine are not the recipes to consult if you want to tell your foodie friends that you made an authentic this or that. We eat all kinds of stuff in our house on a reasonable but limited budget, and I am highly unlikely to keep a stash of rau rut in the produce drawer, or even the lemongrass and tamarind often used to make the bun oc (a similar dish with sea snails as the protein) that is the inspiration for this recipe. Shoot, I didn't even have pork stock on hand last night and used chicken instead.

When I make my knockoff versions of traditional dishes, I aim to approximate flavors and textures as best I can by using ingredients that can easily function in multiple cuisines. The closer I can get to original, the happier I am as a cook. But if I can deliciously satisfy the craving for a dish by hitting all the different notes within a fairly small ballpark, I can be pretty darned happy as an eater.

This dish, while slightly richer, is certainly and strongly reminiscent of bun oc, but it could very well satisfy a craving for bouillabaisse (BWEEyaBAESS) or cioppino (chohpPEEnoh) if you're willing to put a Vietnamese spin on it. ;)

CANH BUN CA (KKANG boohn KKAH)
Serves 4

- roughly 11 oz. of bun tuoi (Vietnamese rice vermicelli) cooked per package instructions, 4 servings of al dente angel hair will work in a pinch, but nothing thicker

- 1.5 to 2 pounds of white fish cut into 1" chunks, or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

- 1 medium yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into sixths (or smaller if you like)
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 inch segment of fresh ginger root, sliced into 1/8" thick pieces
- 1 Tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or canola is fine)
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 Tablespoon red chili flakes
- 2 pounds tomatoes (beefsteak or plum), peeled and quartered OR one 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and cut into quarters
- 8 cups unsalted pork or chicken stock (or some combination of stock and water, but try to do at least half stock)
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- salt if needed to adjust seasoning

- a plate of thinly sliced fresh herbs and vegetables to eat with bites of noodle and soup (sorta like the herbs and sprouts that come with pho): lettuce, fresh sprouts and spearmint are typical. Last night, I used red lettuce, green cabbage, green onion, cilantro, spearmint and fresh jalapeno)
- 2 limes, cut into 12 wedges

1) In a large pot, bring 1 Tablespoon of oil to medium high heat and saute the onions, ginger and garlic until the onions just begin to turn translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.

2) Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the tomato paste and red chili flakes and saute for another minute or so. The resulting caramelized tomato paste gives the soup its color as well as some of the tang you would get from using tamarind.

3) Add in the chicken stock, tomatoes (I used fresh) and fish sauce and bring the soup to a boil.

4) Once the soup comes to a boil, turn down the heat to medium low and simmer, partially covered (leave about 1/2" crack to allow steam to escape) for 20 to 25 minutes. While the soup is simmering, you can boil the noodles, prep the fresh veg, and put the noodles in noodle bowls, about 1.5 cups cooked noodles per serving.

5) After 25 minutes, put the fish or shrimp in the soup and adjust the seasoning, adding a pinch or two more salt if needed. Stir in the fish and simmer until the fish (or shrimp) *just* turns opaque. As soon as it turns opaque, no more than 3 or 4 minutes usually, turn off the heat.

6) Ladle enough soup into the bowls to to cover the noodles and then some. You want a healthy ratio of broth so the noodles don't absorb too much.

7) Serve with the fresh veg and mint garnish and lime and sambal on the side.

I like to add a squeeze or two of lime and a dollop of sambal to my soup. I also like to add some lime juice and sambal to the mix of greens. It adds brightness and zing to each bite.