Tuna and rice noodle soup

When going shopping this weekend, I saw some fresh-looking whole tuna on sale, so I decided to buy one. This is a small size tuna, not the ocean tuna or the sashimi-grade tuna. Therefore, the price for a whole tuna like this was quite reasonable. 

I intended to buy the whole tuna and then filleted it into small portions to freeze for future use. Doing this way, it is more convenient and also more economic to me. After I filleted the tuna, I had a whole fish head and bone, which I decided to make use to make the fish stock for this rice noodle soup. 

In my country, Vietnam, fish and rice noodle soup is a very popular and a favorite food of many ordinary people. The fish used in this noodle soup are mostly from the rivers or raised in the ponds. So, this time I actually create a new dish with sea fish which I’ve never tried before. Since I remembered the the taste of my home, so I tried making this dish with sea fish. 

It is also better to use fennel in this noodle soup. In Singapore, fenel is really hard to buy and when it is available at the hypermarket, it is very expensive. Unlike in Vietnam, fennel is so so cheap and using fennel with fish always brings out great flavor. If possible, use fresh rice noodle for better and more authentic taste. 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

- Fish head and bones

- fish sauce, pepper, to taste

- 50g fresh ginger, cut into thin strips 

- 3 medium tomatoes

- 150g fish fillet, cut into 1cm thick slices 

- vegetable oil, to pan-fry the fish 

- 350-400g fresh rice noodle

- spring onion, chopped

- Vietnamese mint, chopped

- fresh fennel/dill, chopped (optional)

- fresh red chili, thinly sliced, to serve (optional)

Cooking:

- Put together the fish head, fish bones, fish sauce, pepper, ginger strips in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the fragrance is released.

- Cut 2 tomatoes into wedges and add to the saucepan. Add just enough water which is going to be served later with the noodles. Simmer over low heat until the fish head and bones become tender and the fish stock is very tasty. 

- Cut the remaining tomato into wedges. Set aside. 

- Heat a little oil in a frying pan, add the fish slices to fry until just cooked and golden on both sides. Remove and set aside. 

- Reheat the fresh rice noodles in hot water, drain and then divide into the serving bowls. Arrange the tomato wedges, fish slices, spring onions, Vietnamese mints, fennel on top of the noodle. 

- Check the fish broth to add more salt if necessary. Pour the fish broth into the bowls. 

- Serve with sliced fresh red chillies (optional).