Layered like a morning market: noodles and vegetables
Loosen rice noodles into a bowl, pile cucumber, bean sprouts, green beans, and herbs alongside, and pour over a yellow soup scented with fish, and the air in the kitchen shifts toward Southeast Asia. Num banhchok (also written nom banh chok; នំបញ្ចុក in Khmer) is a rice noodle dish eaten in Cambodia for breakfast and as a light meal.
It is sometimes loosely described as "Cambodian-style thin noodles," but cooking it shows the difference clearly. The noodles are not the only star. It is a dish eaten for the layering of a paste of chopped lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and kaffir lime leaves, a fish broth, the savoriness of fermented fish close to prahok, and a heap of raw vegetables.
Local fresh rice noodles and prahok are hard to find every time outside Cambodia, so this article builds a home version with dried rice noodles, white fish, fish sauce, and a little anchovy. The core to protect is not to dilute the aromatic paste, to return some of the fish flesh to the soup for a light thickness, and to layer the vegetables on last, cold.
In English the spelling varies: Num banhchok, Nom banh chok, Num banh chok. In Khmer it is written នំបញ្ចុក, and it is used for the rice noodles themselves or for the dish made with them. This article uses Num banhchok.
The ingredients that make it taste local
The part of num banhchok that causes the most hesitation is the aromatic paste called kroeung. Lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, and shallots are chopped fine and go into the fish soup. If you color it yellow with curry powder alone, the aroma is something else entirely.
| Element | Local character | How to scale it for a home kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Rice noodles | Soft fresh rice noodles are often used | Soften fine dried rice noodles, then rinse in cold water after boiling |
| Fish | A light fish broth and flaked flesh | Boneless white fish fillets such as cod, sea bass, or sea bream |
| Fermented fish | The strong savoriness of prahok | Make up for it modestly with 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 anchovy fillet |
| Kroeung | Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric | Use fresh or frozen. Do not rely on curry powder alone |
| Vegetables | Raw vegetables heaped on | Prepare cucumber, bean sprouts, green beans, cabbage, and herbs |
Substitutes for prahok are a difficult subject. If you try to replace it entirely, only saltiness stands out or only the fermented fish smell does. On a first try, do not push too hard; adding saltiness with fish sauce and fish richness with anchovy makes it easy to eat at a family table.
Ingredients (serves 4)
This recipe uses fish and fish sauce, and some seasonings may contain wheat. Cook the fish through to the center and remove the bones before flaking. When serving pregnant women, small children, older people, or anyone worried about their health, it is reassuring to check that the center of the fish has reached 63°C or higher.
What to look for when shopping
Rice noodles, fish, cucumber, and bean sprouts are easy to find locally. What is worth seeking out at an Asian grocery or online are the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves that form the core of the aroma. If you get by with only ginger, lemon zest, and curry powder, it becomes an edible noodle dish, but it lacks the green, earthy aroma that marks Khmer cooking.
Frozen lemongrass is fine if you cannot find fresh. Slicing the white base thinly makes it easy to turn into a paste in a mortar or a food processor.
On days when you cannot find fresh turmeric, turmeric powder supplies the color and earthy aroma. Using plain turmeric rather than curry powder keeps the direction of the soup from wandering.
Galangal is woodier than ginger, with a faint camphor-like aroma. Ginger can stand in, but if you want the num banhchok soup to read as a Southeast Asian fish soup, galangal is worth buying.
Kaffir lime leaves give the aroma its outline even in small amounts. The rib of the leaf is tough, so remove it and slice the leaf fine, or let it scent the soup and take it out at the end.
Method
Finish the rice noodles last. Poach the fish first, make the soup from that broth, cut the vegetables, and then soften the noodles, and you can serve them without letting them go limp.
How to get close without prahok
Prahok is a fermented fish that supports the savoriness and aroma of Cambodian cooking. Outside Cambodia, though, it is not an ingredient you can easily use every time. Rather than adding a strong fermented smell all at once, on a first try it is safer to add modestly with fish sauce and anchovy and make the fish broth and kroeung properly.
| Ingredient | What it gets close to | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Fish sauce | Saltiness and the savoriness of fish sauce | Too much gives a saltiness closer to Thai cooking |
| Anchovy | The richness of fermented fish | One is enough. More leans toward a Western salted fish |
| A little miso | Roundness | Weakens the Khmer character. Up to 1/2 tsp |
| Salt alone | Easy to eat | The local depth is much weaker |
The nearly irreplaceable element is the combination of lemongrass and galangal. Without them it becomes rice noodles in a coconut fish soup. Even if you have no prahok, protect the aromatic paste as much as you can.
Where things go wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The soup smells fishy | The fish was boiled hard, or bones and dark meat remained | Poach over low heat and strain the broth. Add more lemongrass, not ginger |
| The aroma is weak | The paste is too coarse or fried too briefly | Slice the lemongrass thin and fry in oil for 3 minutes to release the aroma |
| It tastes like curry powder | Relying on turmeric and store-bought curry powder | Add galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass |
| The noodles break | Overcooked, or rubbed too hard under running water | Boil for less than the package says and rinse just enough to loosen with your fingers |
| The vegetables are watery | They were not drained after cutting | Leave in a colander for 10 minutes and add just before serving |
| It is too salty | Too much fish sauce and anchovy | Add 50 ml coconut milk and 100 ml broth, and tighten with lemon juice |
If the soup is thin, adding fish sauce right away makes only the saltiness come forward. It is steadier to simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, break up the fish a little, and then taste. Because it goes over noodles, a soup that is slightly strong on its own is just right, but remember the vegetables add water too.
Serving and menu
Num banhchok in Cambodia is often described as a light morning noodle dish, but with more vegetables it becomes a lunch as well. At the table, serving the hot soup in a big pot and the rice noodles and vegetables on separate plates lets each person layer their own bowl.
If you want to read on in Cambodian cooking, amok (in Japanese), a steamed fish with aromatics, uses coconut and aromatic paste in a similar way, and lok lak (in Japanese), quickly stir-fried beef, leans toward a main dish for the table. In the line of preserved foods, aluek trei ngeat (in Japanese), made with dried fish, is also easy to compare for how fish and savoriness are handled.
To compare with other Southeast Asian rice noodles, Vietnam's phở gà has a clear chicken broth, and Myanmar's mohinga is a breakfast soup of fish and rice noodles. Among them, num banhchok's appeal is the way you heap raw vegetables and pour over a strongly aromatic fish soup.
Storage and making ahead
Always store the soup, noodles, and vegetables separately. If you mix everything, the rice noodles absorb the soup and the vegetables release water, and by the next day it turns mushy.
| Item | Time | Point |
|---|---|---|
| Fish soup | 2 days refrigerated | Cool completely before storing. Reheat over low heat to a gentle bubble |
| Boiled rice noodles | 1 day refrigerated | Do not coat in oil; loosen with warm water once stiff |
| Cut vegetables | 1 day refrigerated | Drain, and wrap the herbs separately |
| Freezer | Soup only, 2 weeks | The coconut milk separates slightly, so stir well after reheating |
If you are making ahead, preparing only the kroeung-style paste the day before is the most effective step. It keeps 2 days refrigerated. Do everything from poaching the fish onward on the day you eat, and the aroma stays.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make it without prahok?
Yes. It does not reproduce the local aroma completely, but fish sauce and a little anchovy make up the savoriness of fish. On a first try, put ease of eating first, and once you are used to it, look for prahok at a Southeast Asian grocery.
What fish should I use?
White, mild fish with bones that are easy to remove, such as cod, sea bream, sea bass, or Spanish mackerel, is best. Oily fish has a strong smell that clashes with the aroma of the kroeung, so avoid it on a first try. Even with fillets, remove the skin and bones before flaking.
Is coconut milk essential?
The richness varies by region and household, but a small amount of coconut milk helps the fish aroma and the aromatic paste come together. Too much moves it toward a rich noodle soup like laksa, so use 200 ml for 4 servings as a guide.
Can I substitute somen noodles for the rice noodles?
You can eat it that way, but it becomes a different dish. Somen has the aroma of wheat and some salt, and absorbs the fish soup and gets too soft. If you must use it, boil it quite firm and rinse well under running water before using.
Do I have to make it spicy?
This basic version includes no heat. Cambodian cooking is less strongly spicy from the start than something you adjust at the table by adding chili or lime. If you want heat, add a little chopped chili at the end.
Can I serve it for meals other than breakfast?
Yes. For lunch, adding more vegetables and fish rather than more rice noodles gives a more satisfying meal. For an evening meal, adding a small meat dish like lok lak (in Japanese) rounds out the table.
Sources
- Grantourismo Travels, "Nom Banh Chok Recipe"
- Cambodia Flavours, "Nom Banh Chok Recipe"
- Cambodianess, "The Taste of Angkor: Num Banh Chok"
- Wikipedia contributors, "Num banhchok"
