Num Banh Chok

Method

1. Make the kroeung (Khmer herb paste). Peel one or two tough outer layers off the lemongrass and thinly slice only the pale lower part. Thinly slice the galangal, garlic and shallots, put everything in a mortar with the turmeric and pound for 5 min into a moist paste with no visible stringy fibres. No mortar? Blend it with 2 tablespoons of water.

   Add in this stepLemongrass stalks 2Galangal (or ginger) 15 gGround turmeric ¾ tspGarlic cloves 3Shallots 1

2. Pour the water into a 18 cm pot and bring it to the boil on high heat. Add the fish, lower to medium heat and poach for 7 min, until the flesh is opaque white and flakes when pressed with a fork. Lift the fish out, remove any bones and flake it finely. Keep the poaching water: it is your broth.

   Add in this stepWater 600 mlWhite fish fillet (cod, tilapia, etc.) 240 g

   high heat→medium heat

3. Heat the oil in a small pan on medium-low heat, add the kroeung and fry for 3 min, stirring all the time, until it smells strongly fragrant and turns a shade darker. Stir in the shrimp paste for the last 30 seconds. Keep the heat moderate; burnt paste tastes bitter.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspShrimp paste (or prahok) ½ tsp

   medium-low heat

4. Mash the flaked fish lightly with the fried paste in the mortar or a bowl with a fork, then stir it back into the poaching water. Add the coconut milk, torn lime leaves, fish sauce and palm sugar and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 min, until the gravy is yellow, slightly thick and lightly coats the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt. Keep it at a gentle bubble: a hard boil can split the coconut milk.

   Add in this stepCoconut milk 200 mlMakrut lime leaves 3Fish sauce 1½ tbspPalm sugar (or light brown sugar) 1½ tspSalt to taste

   medium-low heat

5. While the gravy simmers, bring plenty of water to the boil in a 20 cm pot on high heat and cook the noodles for 4 min, until translucent with no hard centre. Drain, rinse two or three times under cold water to wash off the starch, and drain well. Twirl them into small nests with chopsticks; they stay neat and are easy to serve.

   Add in this stepThin dried rice noodles (vermicelli) 160 g

   high heat

6. Prepare the vegetables: wash and drain the bean sprouts, halve the cucumber and slice it thinly on the diagonal, slice the beans into 3 mm rounds, shred the banana blossom or cabbage very finely, pick the mint and basil leaves and cut the lime into wedges.

   Add in this stepBean sprouts 80 gCucumber 1Long beans or green beans 4Banana blossom or cabbage, finely shredded 60 gMint 10 gThai basil 10 gLime 1

7. Put the noodle nests in bowls, pile the vegetables and herbs on top and ladle over plenty of hot gravy. Squeeze over lime and toss everything together as you eat. Cambodians serve the noodles at room temperature under a hot gravy.