Bowl of Catfish Noodle Soup
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Catfish Noodle Soup


Burma   -   Mohinga
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 soup
***
55 min
Most		 A substantial soup, depending on how much rice noodles you use. It can also be made with rice. See Serving for special considerations.

1
8
-----
5
4
1
1
1
1/2
-----
5
4
-----
3
4
6
3
-----
#
oz
---
oz
cl
in

t
t
---
oz

---
T
T
c
T
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Catfish filet (1)
Rice Noodles (2)
-- Aromatics
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Lemon Grass (3)
Turmeric
Salt
-- Vegies
Onions, small
Chili Red (4)
---------
Oil
Rice Flour
Water
Fish Sauce
-- Garnishes
Cilantro
Fried Squash
Green bean shreds
Scallion shreds
Hard Boiled Egg
Fried Onion shreds
Chili flakes
Prep   (20 min)
  1. Cut CATFISH into about 1 inch squares.
  2. IF dry, soak RICE NOODLES in warm water for at least 20 minutes if thin, an hour if thicker. They can be held in cool water for hours.
  3. Slice ONION thin and chop fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  4. Slice GINGER very thin, cut into threads and chop fine.
  5. Remove tough outer leaves from LEMON GRASS and cut off hard root end. Smash with your kitchen mallet and then slice crosswise as thin as you can from the bottom for about 5 inches. Discard the top and chop the slices fine.
  6. Pound both Ginger and Lemon Grass to paste in a mortar and mix with Onions, along with Turmeric and Salt.
  7. Cut SMALL ONIONS into quarters lengthwise. If not all that small, cut into more wedges. Cut CHILIS in half lengthwise, remove seeds and membranes to the extent you want to control heat, and slice into threads. Mix.
  8. Prepare GARNISHES as desired (just one or two, not all of them).
Run   -   ()
  1. Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and fry Onion Mix stirring over moderate heat until soft and aromatic but not at all browned.
  2. Stir Rice Flour in well. Stir in a cup of Water until smooth, then stir in the rest of the water and the Fish Sauce Bring to a boil, cover and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes.
  3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the rice noodles.
  4. Stir Catfish and Vegies mix into the soup. Bring back to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. At this point you can set it aside and reheat later if desired.
  5. When ready to serve, drain Rice Noodles and stir into the boiling water. Strain out immediately and divide into bowls (see Note-5 and Serving for details. Ladle soup over the noodles and serve hot.
NOTES:

  1. Catfish:

      Southeast Asian catfish (basa, tra, swai) are a bit different in shape and have a more delicate texture and flavor than American channel cat. The frozen fillets now so common here in North America have been skillfully prepared to remove most of the fish flavor. I usually buy frozen fish, just beheaded and gutted which will have more flavor. American Channel Catfish can be used, as well as Walking Catfish, sold in Southern California as Yellow Catfish. For details see our Catfish page.

  2. Rice Noodles:

      This weight is for dry noodles to produce 6 servings. If you have fresh rice noodles use 1 pound for the same number of servings. See our Rice Noodles page for details.

  3. Lemon Grass:

      These tough grass stems can be found in markets serving a Southeast Asian community. For details see our Lemon Grass page.

  4. Red Chilis:

      Around here we all use Red Fresnos, but other medium hot red chilis will work fine. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  5. Cooking Noodles:

      Rice noodles will turn quickly to mush in boiling water. Whether fresh of soaked they need only be in the water until heated. I drop them in, then immediately pour the water out through a strainer into a bowl. The water can be returned to the pot to heat more noodles if needed. Of course, if you want a more porridge like consistency, just leave them in for a few minutes and they will start to break up.

  6. Serving;

      To serve with Rice Noodles, you must serve in individual bowls. Put some noodles in the bowl and ladle in some soup over them. If you need it finished in the pot so you can just ladle it out as needed, use cooked Jasmine rice instead of noodles. Another way to serve is to put neither in, but provide a bowl of steamed Jasmine rice on the table to be spooned in as desired. This could also be done with rice noodles (provide tongs).
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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