Mohinga: Burmese Fish Noodle Soup
A fragrant, savory Burmese fish noodle soup thickened with chickpea flour and finished with fresh herbs. Ready in under an hour with pantry staples and fresh seafood.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 420
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- ½ pound firm white fish fillet (cod, haddock, or catfish)
- 2 medium shallots
- 3 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 6 ounces dried egg noodles
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 stalks scallions
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ whole lime
Instructions
- 1
Pat the fish fillet dry with a paper towel, place it on a cutting board, and slice it crosswise (from left to right across the width) into 0.5-inch-thick pieces to help it cook evenly.
- 2
Peel the shallots, then slice them lengthwise from root to tip into thin half-moon shapes about 1/8 inch thick.
- 3
Peel the garlic cloves and mince them until the pieces are pencil-tip size — smaller than a grain of rice.
- 4
Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon, then grate it on a microplane or the small holes of a box grater into fine shreds.
- 5
Chop the cilantro leaves (not the stems) into pieces about 1/4 inch long.
- 6
Slice the scallions crosswise (from left to right) into 1/4-inch rings, keeping the white and green parts separate.
- 7
Pour 4 cups of vegetable broth into a 3-quart pot and set it over medium-high heat until large bubbles rapidly break the surface, about 5 minutes.
- 8
Add the fish pieces to the boiling broth and stir gently once with a spoon to separate them, cooking until they turn from translucent to opaque white, about 3 minutes.
- 9
Remove the pot from heat, use a slotted spoon to scoop the cooked fish into a small bowl, leaving the broth in the pot.
- 10
Return the pot to medium heat, add the sliced shallots, and stir occasionally until the edges turn golden brown and smell sweet, about 4 minutes.
- 11
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger to the shallots and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the raw smell fades and the mixture becomes fragrant.
- 12
Sprinkle the turmeric powder over the aromatics and stir to coat evenly, cooking for another 15 seconds until the color deepens slightly.
- 13
Pour 0.25 cup of cool broth into a small bowl, add the chickpea flour, and whisk with a fork until no lumps remain and the mixture is smooth.
- 14
Slowly pour the chickpea mixture into the pot while stirring constantly to prevent lumps, then stir for 1 minute until the broth thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- 15
Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce to the pot and stir for 10 seconds to distribute the flavor evenly.
- 16
Return the cooked fish pieces to the pot and stir gently to combine without breaking them apart.
- 17
Bring the broth back to a gentle simmer over medium heat — you should see small, steady bubbles rising — and keep it simmering while you cook the noodles.
- 18
Fill a separate 2-quart pot with water, set it over high heat, and bring it to a rolling boil (large bubbles rapidly breaking the surface) in about 5 minutes.
- 19
Add the dried noodles to the boiling water and stir with a fork to separate them; cook until they bend easily when pressed between your fingers, about 6 minutes.
- 20
Pour the noodles into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse them under cool running water for 5 seconds, shaking gently to remove excess water.
- 21
Divide the cooked noodles evenly between two deep serving bowls, placing them in the center of each bowl.
- 22
Carefully ladle the hot fish broth and pieces over the noodles, filling each bowl until the broth reaches about 1 inch below the rim.
- 23
Scatter the white parts of the scallions evenly over the surface of each bowl.
- 24
Scatter the chopped cilantro evenly over the surface of each bowl.
- 25
Scatter the green parts of the scallions (the thin green slices) evenly over the cilantro.
- 26
Cut the lime half into two wedges and place one wedge on the rim of each bowl for squeezing over the soup at the table.
Tools you’ll need
- 3-quart pot with lid
- 2-quart pot
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- microplane or box grater
- paper towels
- slotted spoon
- wooden spoon
- small bowl
- fork
- whisk
- fine-mesh strainer
- ladle
- two deep serving bowls
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