What makes this Nha Trang jellyfish noodle soup good is a broth that stays light while carrying the full flavor of mackerel. The hard part is that the fish turns fishy and the broth turns cloudy if the prep is rushed.
The jellyfish soaks in lightly salted water for 20 to 30 minutes, gets rinsed several times, then a quick pass through boiling water. The broth is simmered from mackerel heads with onion, and the pineapple and tomato go in later, after they have been fried.
This batch weighs about 3.9kg, at roughly 71 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak 100g of jellyfish in lightly salted water for 20 to 30 minutes, rinse it several times in cold water, blanch it briefly in boiling water, and drain it.
Soak 300g of mackerel in lightly salted water for 15 minutes, rinse it 2 to 3 times to take away the fishy smell, drain it, and cut it into bite sized steaks. Season the fish with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of minced chili, 1 tablespoon of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper for 10 minutes.
Cut 1/4 of a pineapple into slices about 1cm thick, cut the tomato into wedges, and peel, wash, and halve the onion.
Fry 1 tablespoon of minced shallot and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of annatto oil until fragrant, then add the tomato and pineapple and fry them 3 minutes.
In another pan, fry 300g of mackerel fish cake until golden and cut it into pieces about 1cm wide and 2cm long. In a separate pan of deep oil, fry the seasoned mackerel steaks until golden, then lift them out to drain.
Blanch 300g of mackerel heads in boiling water. Bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil, add the mackerel heads and onion, and simmer 10 minutes, then add the fried pineapple and tomato and cook about 20 minutes more.
Season the broth with 1 tablespoon of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder. Add the fried mackerel, cook 5 minutes more, then turn off the heat.
Blanch the rice vermicelli, arrange it in bowls with the fish cake, jellyfish, and fried fish, ladle the hot broth over, and scatter chopped spring onion on top. Serve with lettuce and bean sprouts.
Tips
Good mackerel heads have clear, slightly bulging eyes and gills of deep pink or bright red.
Fresh mackerel has unbroken skin and springs back under a finger.
Blanch the jellyfish very briefly and drain it, since a long blanch shrinks it and turns it rubbery.
Skimming the foam while the fish heads simmer is what keeps the broth clear.
Let the fried mackerel cake drain and cool before cutting, since cutting it hot leaves ragged edges.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.