Bun mam Mekong fermented fish noodle soup

Method

1. 1 Cook the fermented fish paste with 400 ml of water over low heat for 15 minutes until the fish meat dissolves, then strain to remove the bones, keeping only the fish sauce liquid.
2. 2 Sauté dried shallots and chopped lemongrass until fragrant, then pour in filtered fish sauce, add water, season with palm sugar, and cook for 20 minutes.
3. 3 Cut the eggplant into pieces, add them to the broth and cook for 10 minutes until tender but still intact.
4. 4 Boil the shrimp and squid until just cooked, about 3 minutes, then slice the roasted pork belly into thin slices.
5. 5 Blanch the rice noodles, arrange the shrimp, squid, and meat on top, pour in the hot broth, and serve with shredded water spinach, banana blossoms, and chili peppers.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 1 hr

  Replace step 2: after sautéing the shallots, cook the filtered fish sauce with water and sugar under high pressure for 7 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 8 minutes. The eggplant in step 3 and the seafood in step 4 should still be cooked with the lid open to prevent them from becoming mushy or tough.