Easy Danang Fish Noodle Soup Recipe (Bun Cha Ca Da Nang) – Everyone Loves It

Fish cake noodle soup is a signature dish of Central Vietnam, especially famous in Da Nang. A steaming bowl of noodles with clear broth, the delicate sweetness of fish, fragrant chewy fish cakes combined with fresh raw vegetables makes anyone who tries it once remember it forever. If you don’t know how to cook fish cake noodle soup Da Nang style that is both authentic and simple to make right at home, do not miss the detailed recipe in this article by Ola Squid!

1. Ingredients needed to cook fish cake noodle soup

To cook a delicious and authentic Da Nang fish cake noodle soup, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• 1 basa fish
• 500g fried fish cake, 500g steamed fish cake
• 200g cabbage, 500g pumpkin
• 1 pineapple, 3 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 6 tablespoons fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• A few side herbs such as perilla, basil, mint, coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons sugar

2. How to choose fresh ingredients

For the Da Nang fish cake noodle soup to reach its full flavor, choosing fresh ingredients is extremely important. Here are some important notes when buying ingredients:

• For basa fish, you should prioritize live fish that swim strongly, have firm bodies, clear eyes, and bright red gills with no strange odors. If buying pre-processed fish, choose the white meat parts with small fibers that are elastic when pressed.
• Good pumpkin is usually flat-round, has a slightly rough dark brown skin, feels heavy in the hand, and has a fresh stem. Avoid buying light, soft pumpkins or those with strange smells as they are easily spoiled inside.
• Additionally, when choosing tomatoes, you should pick those that are evenly red, plump, thin-skinned, and have fresh green stems. Fresh tomatoes will be firm to the touch, have a light aroma, and will not be mushy or discolored.
• For cabbage, choose heads that are evenly round, tightly curled leaves, bright green color, and feel firm. You should not buy cabbage with bruised, yellowing leaves or black spots because it is prone to rotting, affecting the quality of the dish.

3. How to cook Da Nang fish cake noodle soup

• Step 1 – Prepare ingredients: Peel the pumpkin, wash it, and cut it into bite-sized square pieces. Separate the cabbage leaves, wash them, then cut them into segments, and wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, and cut into small pieces to create a natural sweet and sour taste for the broth.
• Step 2 – Sauté tomatoes: Heat a pot with a little cooking oil, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Next, add the tomatoes and sauté gently until soft, releasing a beautiful color and fragrant aroma.
• Step 3 – Cook the broth: Add filtered water to the pot of sautéed tomatoes, bring to a boil, then add the pumpkin and cabbage one by one to cook together. Then season with 4 tablespoons of fish sauce and salt to taste, lower the heat to let the vegetables cook slowly. When the water boils again, add the pineapple so the broth has a sweet, easy-to-eat taste.
• Step 4 – Prepare and deodorize basa fish: Wash the basa fish with salt and a little lemon or vinegar to remove the fishy smell, then rinse with clean water, drain, and cut into pieces.
• Step 5 – Braise the fish: Put the fish in a pot and add sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, pepper, garlic powder, and a little water. Braise the fish over medium heat until evenly seasoned, the sauce thickens slightly, and it gives off a characteristic aroma.
• Step 6 – Complete the dish: When the vegetables in the broth pot are tender, add the steamed fish cake and fried fish cake, bring to a gentle boil again, then season to taste before turning off the heat.
• Step 7 – Presentation and enjoyment: Finally, put fresh noodles in a bowl, arrange the basa fish, fish cakes, pumpkin, cabbage, and pineapple on top. Pour in the hot broth, add a little fish braising liquid and side herbs, and you can enjoy it immediately. A complete bowl of Da Nang fish cake noodle soup has an attractive aroma, sweet broth, fatty soft fish blending with chewy delicious fish cakes, eating it once is unforgettable.

See more: How to cook Phu Yen style squid noodle soup, clear broth, crunchy squid

4. Similar delicious dishes

Besides Da Nang fish cake noodle soup, Southern and Nha Trang fish cake noodle soups also have unforgettable characteristic flavors loved by many people. Below is the detailed way to make Nha Trang fish cake noodle soup and Southern style that you can refer to:

4.1 Nha Trang fish cake noodle soup

Ingredients to prepare:

• 200g Nha Trang fish cake
• 300g mackerel
• 1/4 pineapple, 1/2 cabbage
• 1 ginger root, 2 tomatoes
• 3 shallots and 3 garlic cloves
• 3 sprigs of green onion, noodles
• Bean sprouts, lettuce, herbs

How to make Nha Trang fish cake noodle soup as follows:

• Step 1: Clean the mackerel, fillet the meat and cut it into bite-sized pieces. To prevent the fish from being fishy, you can quickly soak it in diluted salt water mixed with ginger and lemon or wash it with rice water, then rinse and drain.
• Step 2: Wash the cabbage and lettuce, cut them into small pieces. Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, cut into pieces, and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Shred the ginger, finely mince the shallots and garlic, and chop the green onions. Wash the herbs and bean sprouts, then drain. Lightly fry the fish cake again until hot, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Step 3: Put the mackerel in a bowl, season with pepper, seasoning powder, MSG, fish sauce, add ginger shreds and white wine. Mix well and marinate for about 10 minutes so the fish absorbs the spices, making the meat more fragrant and flavorful.
• Step 4: Next, place the marinated fish in a steamer, steam for about 20 minutes until the fish is tender, then turn off the heat, leaving it as is so the fish doesn’t dry out.
• Step 5: After that, sauté the shallots and garlic with cooking oil, add the tomatoes and sauté quickly until soft and they release a beautiful color, creating the flavor base for the broth.
• Step 6: Briefly blanch the fish bones with boiling water then rinse clean. Put the bones in a pot with fresh water, simmer for about 40 minutes to get the natural sweetness. Then remove the bones, add the sautéed tomatoes, pineapple, and a little chili powder to the pot, season with salt to taste then simmer gently to complete the broth.
• Step 7: Put the noodles in a bowl, arrange the steamed mackerel, fish cake, and green onions on top then pour in the hot broth with tomatoes and pineapple. When eating, you should serve with raw vegetables and add fish sauce according to your taste.

See more: What is delicious to make with squid paste? Top attractive dishes from squid paste

4.2 Southern fish cake noodle soup

Ingredients needed:

• 500g featherback fish (or fresh mackerel, basa fish)
• 500g pork marrow bones (or fish bones, fish heads)
• 300g snakehead fish or climbing perch
• 2-3 sprigs of green onion, 3 tomatoes
• 100g lean ground pork, 1kg fresh noodles
• 1 small bunch of dill, ½ pineapple
• 2-3 shallots, 1 onion
• 1 ginger root
• Various raw vegetables such as lettuce, shredded banana blossom, shredded water spinach, bean sprouts, herbs
• Coriander, chili, lemon
• Cooking oil, sugar, seasoning powder, salt, fish sauce, ground pepper

How to make Southern fish cake noodle soup:

• Step 1: Blanch pork bones or fish bones with boiling water and ginger to remove odors. Clean the climbing perch or snakehead fish and you can soak them in diluted salt water or lemon to reduce fishiness. For fish used to make cakes, scrape the meat then completely remove bones and skin. Wash the vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces, and soak the raw vegetables in diluted salt water then drain.
• Step 2: Put the bones in a pot with cold water, add onion and ginger, simmer on low heat so the broth is clear and sweet. When the bones have released their flavor, add the climbing perch or snakehead fish to cook through, remove and pick off the meat. Sauté the tomatoes and pineapple with shallots until fragrant then add to the pot, season to taste and simmer on low heat so the flavors blend.
• Step 3: Next, mix the fish meat with lean ground pork, green onions, dill, and seasonings, then knead well until the mixture is chewy. Shape into bite-sized pieces, steam until cooked or lightly fry until golden then cut into pieces.
• Step 4: Finally, blanch the fresh noodles, put them in a bowl then arrange the fish and fish cakes on top, sprinkle with green onions and coriander. Pour in the steaming hot broth, serve with raw vegetables along with chili fish sauce and lemon to enjoy.

>>> Suggested delicious dish: What is delicious to make with shark catfish? Summary of 12 nutritious delicious dishes

5. Some notes when cooking fish cake noodle soup

To make the fish cake dish more complete, you need to note some things below:

• Choose fresh ingredients: Fish cakes should be made from fresh fish, which has a natural aroma and good elasticity. Fresh fish will make the cakes chewy, sweet, and not crumbly when processed, while also limiting the fishy smell in the dish.
• Cook a sweet and clear broth: The broth should be simmered from fish bones or pork bones for a long enough time to create a natural sweetness. During the cooking process, you need to frequently skim off the foam so the water is clear and has a beautiful color.
• Season moderately: Seasonings should be added lightly, and priority should be given to salt and good fish sauce to preserve the characteristic flavor of fish cake noodle soup. Avoid seasoning too heavily, which makes the broth harsh and overwhelms the natural sweetness of the ingredients.
• Prepare side vegetables carefully: Raw vegetables need to be washed, soaked in diluted salt water, and drained. You should combine vegetables like lettuce, banana blossom, bean sprouts, and herbs to help the dish be more harmonious and easier to eat.
• Prepare the noodles: Noodles should be briefly blanched in hot water before serving so the noodle strands are soft, clean, and not sticky or having a sour smell.

We hope that with the detailed instructions on how to cook fish cake noodle soup above, you can successfully prepare a delicious, authentic dish for your whole family. If you want to discover more attractive cooking recipes and other delicious processing tips, please visit the Blog page of Ola Squid! For the best experience with seafood-based dishes, you can also explore our premium whole dried squid products to add extra depth and flavor to your home-cooked meals.