Bun mam takes work, but one bowl explains why people bother. The broth carries the deep scent of fermented gourami, and it comes loaded with shrimp, squid, fish and roast pork. The risk is a thin broth, because the fermented fish loses its character the moment it is diluted.
The fermented fish is cooked in only 500ml water until it breaks down completely, since more water flattens the flavor at once. It is then strained and only afterwards simmered with the 2 liters of stock. A basket of bitter greens, water lily stems and bean sprouts on the side keeps the bowl from feeling heavy.
This batch weighs about 6kg, at roughly 77 calories per 100g.
Method
Mince 1 lemongrass stalk, halve one shallot and mince the other, mince the small chilies, and slit the horn chilies lengthways to scrape out the seeds. Peel and cut the pineapple, and cut the eggplant into bite sized lengths.
Clean the tilapia, keep only the middle section, remove the bones and cut into pieces. Peel and rinse the squid. Cut the roast pork into pieces about half a finger joint thick.
Put 500ml water and 300g fermented gourami in a pot, mash it well and cook until the fish has broken down completely, adding 1 lemongrass stalk and 1 shallot for aroma.
Mix the spring onion into the fish paste, put it in a plastic bag and season with 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/3 teaspoon MSG, 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Knead well, add 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce and mix again. Stuff the paste into the horn chilies and fry them golden on both sides in 3 tablespoons cooking oil.
Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/3 teaspoon MSG. Cook the squid for 2 minutes, add the shrimp and cook 5 minutes, lift both out, then poach the fish for 4 minutes.
Strain the fermented fish through a sieve and discard the solids. Put the strained liquid in a pot with 2 liters water and the pineapple and simmer for 1 hour, then add the strained poaching liquid from the seafood.
Fry the minced lemongrass in 3 tablespoons cooking oil for 1 minute, add the minced chili and cook 3 minutes, then tip it into the broth. Season with 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon seasoning powder and 1/2 teaspoon MSG, add the eggplant and simmer 10 more minutes, drop in the garlic chives and turn off the heat.
Put the noodles in a bowl, arrange the shrimp, squid, fish, roast pork and stuffed chilies on top, ladle over the broth and serve with the fresh greens.
Tips
Cook the fermented fish in as little water as possible, as extra water thins out the flavor.
Straining the fermented fish thoroughly is what keeps the broth free of grit.
The eggplant goes in once the broth is at a hard boil, since adding it early leaves the pieces soft and blackened.
Squid first, then shrimp, then fish, and the poaching liquid goes back into the pot for sweetness.
Bitter greens, water spinach or bean sprouts on the side keep the bowl from feeling heavy.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.