Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Vietnamese Bún Mắm Fermented Fish Seafood Noodles
越式發酵魚海鮮米線（Bún Mắm）
Recipe overview
Mekong Delta fermented-fish rice vermicelli with pork, shrimp, squid, fish and eggplant; a complete noodle meal.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 160 g Vietnamese fermented fish mắm cá sặc
- 400 g dry rice vermicelli
- 200 g skinless pork belly
- 250 g peeled shrimp
- 200 g cleaned squid
- 200 g boneless white fish fillet
- 1 medium eggplant
- 150 g bean sprouts
- 1 bunch water spinach
- 3 litres water
Soup seasoning
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
Oil for aromatics
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
02
Tools
- large soup pot
- small saucepan
- fine strainer
- cutting board
- knife
- colander
- ladle
03
Steps
Step 1
Extract fish broth
Simmer fermented fish in one litre water for about five minutes until it breaks down.
Step 2
Strain bones
Pass the broth through a fine strainer into a large pot, pressing for flavour and discarding bones.
Step 3
Cut pork and veg
Slice pork belly; cut eggplant; bruise lemongrass and mince garlic and shallots.
Step 4
Fry aromatics
Heat oil in the large pot and fry garlic, shallots and lemongrass until fragrant.
Step 5
Simmer pork
Return strained fish broth, add the remaining two litres of water and pork; bring to a boil then lower the heat.
Step 6
Cook eggplant
Add eggplant and simmer with pork around 30 minutes until pork is fully cooked and eggplant tender.
Step 7
Cook noodles
Cook rice vermicelli separately according to its pack, drain and divide among four large bowls.
Step 8
Prepare greens
Wash and drain bean sprouts and water spinach; cut the spinach into short lengths.
Step 9
Poach fish
Poach fish fillet in gently bubbling broth until opaque and fully cooked, then lift out.
Step 10
Poach seafood
Cook shrimp and squid in batches in the broth until shrimp is pink, squid opaque and both fully cooked.
Step 11
Season broth
Add sugar and fish sauce to taste; briefly reheat the cooked fish and seafood in the broth.
Step 12
Finish bowls
Ladle hot broth, pork, eggplant and cooked seafood over noodles; serve sprouts and water spinach separately.
Common mistakes
- Plain fish sauce does not replace fermented fish in this broth.
- Do not rely on ladled broth to cook raw seafood; poach it fully in the pot.
Tips
Strain every fish bone carefully; cook seafood in stages to prevent overcooking.
