Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 1 whole tilapia, about 1¼ lbs, cleaned, washed with salt, and drained
- 1½ packs of Fine Rice Vermicelli (300 g); follow cooking instructions
- 8 cups of water
- 1 can of coconut milk, 14 oz (400 ml)
- 1 banana flower of about ¾ lb; a few hard petals peeled, thinly sliced, and soaked in a bowl of water mixed with lime juice (squeezed from one lime)
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
- 1 lb of bean sprout, washed and drained
- 2 stalks of lemon grass about 15 inches each, cut into half and lightly smashed
- 5 tablespoons of chopped lemon grass
- 2 krachai roots, finely chopped
- 10 kaffir leaves, finely chopped
- 1 inch of galangal root, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1½ teaspoon chicken soup base mix 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 shallots, peeled
- 3 fresh red chilies
Procedures
- In a medium pot, bring the water to a boil (high heat). Add lemon grass stalks, 2 kaffir leaves, salt, and tilapia. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook for 20 minutes (medium heat). Transfer tilapia to a large dish to cool down.
- Remove the meat from the tilapia, put it onto a dish, and set aside.
- Put chopped lemon grass, krachai, galangal, kaffir leaf, turmeric powder, garlic, shallot, and chili in a spice grinder. Grind until smooth.
- Drain the tilapia stock and bring to a boil (high heat). Add coconut milk and let it boil.
- Mix the ground ingredients with the tilapia meat. Crush this mixture by using a pestle and mortar.
- Add the tilapia meat mixture, fish sauce, sugar, and chicken soup base in the pot. Cook about 7-8 minutes (medium heat).
- Add vegetables and cooked vermicelli to individual bowls and top with tilapia soup.
- This dish can be served with lime juice and fresh red chili as you like. Add fresh bean sprouts and thin slices of banana flower as a complement vegetable.
