Thai Fish Curry Sauce with Rice Vermicelli (ขนมจีนน้ำยา)

Serves: 4

What you need

• 200 g dry rice vermicelli
• 200 g skinless & boneless fish fillets (I use any cheap white-colour fish, e.g. frozen basa)
• 200 g fish balls
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
• 6 slices galangal
• 6 fingerroots, split lengthwise (กระชาย)
• 15-20 dried red chillies, cut and soaked in hot water to soften
• 1 tsp shrimp paste (กะปิ)
• 1/3 c shallots, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp fresh turmeric
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp palm sugar
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• Fresh vegetables e.g. thinly-sliced cabbage, julienned carrots, beansprouts, green beans, pickled mustard green

How to put this together

1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add lemongrass + galangal + fingerroots + fish fillets
2. When the fish is cooked, take off heat.
3. Take out fish fillets with slotted spoon and leave to cool a bit. Using pestle & mortar, pound the cooked fish fillets – it should be fluffy-ish
4. Take out the poached herbs. Keep the poaching water in the pot.
5. Grind together (I use magic bullet) lemon grass + galangal + fingerroots + red chillies + shrimp paste + shallots + garlic + turmeric. Add some water to help it along.
6. Add curry paste + coconut milk into poaching water. Bring to boil.
7. Add fluffy fish +  fish balls + palm sugar + fish sauce
8. Simmer for 15 mins
9. Taste & season further if required
10. Cook the dry rice vermicelli as per instructions on packet
11. Serve vermicelli with vegetables and curry sauce
12. Mix them all together and enjoy!