Bún Chả Cá

Fish Cake Noodle Soup


1 lb fish paste
1/4 lb shrimp paste
2 eggs
4 bamboo shoots (small)
3 tomatoes
1/2 pineapple
3 lbs pork neck bones
2 blue crabs or 1 fish head
1 bunch water dropwort (rau cần nước)
1 T red hot chili oil
Garlic, shallot, green onion, cilantro
Vegetable oil, salt, pepper, fish sauce, sugar

Place pork bones, blue crabs (or fish head if you are fish lover) and 3 shallots in large pot, add water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off foam, lower the heat and let simmer for 2 hours. Add some salt and strain broth.

Fish Ball: 3/4 lb fish paste + 1/2 T sugar + 2 crushed green onions (just the white heads) + 1 egg white + 1 t fish sauce + pepper. Mix until smooth. Pluck a small piece of the paste and form the mixtures into balls, smooth them with oil. Deep fry.
Fish Cake: 1/4 lb fish paste + 1/4 lb shrimp paste + 1 egg white + 1 t cornstarch + 1 minced garlic + fish sauce, sugar and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth. Line some oil in a small baking pan, add this mixture in (1/2 inch thick) and steam for 10-15 minutes, remove. Beat 2 egg yolks evenly and pour on top of fish cake, bring back to steam for 5-10 more minutes.

Tomato: cut into 8 lengthwise
Bamboo Shoot: cut into 12 lengthwise
Pineapple: Slice 1/2 pineapple into 4 pieces lengthwise, remove core strip on top, slice into 1/2-1/3 inch pieces.

Stir fry bamboo shoot and pineapple with some garlic and season with some fish sauce and pepper. Add into the broth. Add fish balls into the broth. Bring to boil.
Stir fry tomato with some garlic and add into the broth. Add 1 T red hot chili oil.
Season the soup with salt, sugar, fish sauce, pepper to taste.

Put noodle in a bowl, top with a piece of fish cake, some water dropwort, ladle soup on top with tomato, bambooshoot, pineapple, fish balls. Top with chopped green onion and cilantro.
Option: a side dish of water dropwort, sliced shallot (raw), and green onion (white head).