Thai fishballs noodle soup
Hidden treasures, with the emotional rollercoaster they create, are truly of one the great joys in life.
Think Easter eggs ; or about this true friend that you first thought was a bore ; or, about this dish.
Thai fishballs noodle soup looks deceptively neutral. The broth is clear, the fishballs are not the most attractive protein ; why bother ?
Well, get ready for a Thai masterclass on balance. Not only does this delicate Thai clear pork broth shows a banging depth of taste thanks to slow-cooked bones and fish sauce addition ; it gets some kick and tang from vinegar and chilies, and some freshness with cilantro and scallions.
Add tasty fishballs, a bit of garlic oil, some meat from the bones, and thin noodles : you're done !
It ain't no quick dish ; you have to deserve it. To patiently make your 3h broth, to cautiously fry the garlic to get its game-changing oil, and to even mash and mix your fish mixture, if deciding to use homemade fishballs.
The good news is, like any true Sunday dish, once the hard work is done, it's done ; the rest is all a matter of assembling. Therefore, trust the recipe and make large amounts ! Then you keep the broth, fishballs and meat in individual portions in the freezer, the garlic oil in the fridge ; and whenever you feel soupy, you whip up a banging soup in a matter of minutes, only needing a few fresh herbs and mung bean sprouts.
Thai fishballs noodle soup - Recipe
Ingredients - Advice & key points
- Use the recipe for the Thai clear pork broth ; I really do not recommend using a premade broth for this specific recipe, as the broth is absolutely key in the delicate flavours of this dish.
- You can either buy frozen fishballs frozen from your local Asian store, if you want, or use my fishballs recipe.
- I highly recommend making the garlic oil, as it adds a subtle key flavour to the dish. It only requires around 10 minutes !
Let's get soupy!
An amazing soup, especially for my non-spicy team, with a savoury, delicate broth that is deceptively flavourful in spite of its beautiful clear colour.
- 1 liter broth (see recipe for Thai Clear Pork Broth)
- 8 fishballs
- 160 grams thin rice noodles (cooked according to package instructions)
- 2 handfuls mung bean sprouts
- 1/4 cilantro bunch
- 3 scallions
- 2 tablespoons chili vinegar
- meat from the bones (from the Thai broth)
- chili flakes (to taste)
- sugar (to taste)
- white pepper (to taste)
- chili vinegar (to taste, see my Prik Nam Som recipe)
- fish sauce (to taste)
- 8 large garlic cloves
- 3/4 cups neutral oil
- Prep your broth (and meatballs if choosing homemade)
Make your broth following this Thai clear pork broth recipe.
When you're done, pick the meat off the bones, if any, as a topping for your soup.
If choosing to make homemade fishballs, follow this fishballs recipe.
- Prep your garlic oil
Thinly mince your garlic cloves.
Add your oil to a small saucepan on medium heat.
Add a garlic slice ; once it bubbles, add the rest.
Turn the heat to medium-low and keep stirring until golden (around 6mn).
Careful : we want it golden, not golden brown ! Golden brown might lead to a bitter oil.
When done, strain it through a metal sieve (not a plastic one).
Keep the oil and fried garlic separately.
The garlic oil will last a few months in the fridge. - Start cooking
Prep rice vermicelli according to package instructions (mine needed to be boiled 6 minutes). Don't forget to salt your water, or the noodles will be bland, even with the broth.
Simultaneously, bring your broth to a slow boil. Add fishballs ; cook around 1mn. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
30 seconds before your noods are done, add mung bean sprouts.
Strain both the noods and mung bean sprouts.
- Serve !
To each bowl, add your noods & mung beans.
Ladle the broth with fishballs, then add garlic oil, fried garlic, chopped green onions and cilantro, white pepper, chili vinegar (or classic white vinegar) & fish sauce for added tang/saltiness if so wished, and chili pepper powder if using.
Et voilà !! You're done !
Thank you for trying out this recipe ! Do not hesitate to leave some feedback. I hope it brightened your day.