West Coast Mohinga from Burma: Rivers of flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
• About 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped galangal
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind pulp, cut into chunks
• 5 cups water
• One 1¾- to 2-pound whole fish such as carp, trout, or snapper, or several smaller fish, cleaned and scaled
• ½ teaspoon shrimp paste (ngapi)
• ½ cup chopped coriander
• About ¾ teaspoon white or freshly ground black pepper
• Green Chile Paste (optional)
• About 2 tablespoons Shallot Oil or Garlic Oil
• About 3 tablespoons Toasted Chickpea Flour (optional)
• About 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2½ to 3 pounds fresh rice vermicelli or thin rice noodles (flat or round) or 1½ pounds dried rice vermicelli or narrow dried rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 5 inches banana stem, peeled, sliced, soaked in cold water for an hour, and drained (optional)
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• Generous ¼ cup dried red chiles
• ¼ cup hot water