Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua Cá)

Name: Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua Cá)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 1 pound fish (catfish, salmon, mackerel, tilapia); 1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or canned); 2 tomatoes; 2 oz tamarind paste; 3 cup beansprouts; 1 cup shedded banana blossoms; 2 elephant ear stalks; 5 okras; 1.5 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp fish sauce; ½ tbsp chicken powder; 5 cup boiling water; Thai chilies; 1 handful rice paddy herbs (ngò om/rau ngổ); 1 handful sawtooth coriander, lemon basil, Thai basil; 1 tbsp fried garlic

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Servings
4 people
Course
Main Course, Soup, Dinner
Cuisine
Vietnamese

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua Cá)

Gael Pickett

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Canh Chua (Vietnamese sweet and sour soup) is the refreshing and comforting soup originating from the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Quick and easy to cook, it's a must-try for any fans of Vietnamese traditional cuisine.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pound fish (catfish, salmon, mackerel, tilapia) (fish heads, fillet or steak with bone and skin attached)
1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or canned) (about 1/4 a small pineapple)
2 tomatoes (cut into thick wedges)
2 oz tamarind paste (55g) (to your taste) (or tamarind concentrate/powder)
3 cup beansprouts
1 cup shedded banana blossoms (optional)
2 elephant ear stalks (peeled, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch or 1 cm pieces)
5 okras (optional) (the stem ends trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch or 0.5 cm pieces)
1.5 tbsp sugar (to your taste)
2 tbsp fish sauce (to your taste)
½ tbsp chicken powder (to your taste)
5 cup boiling water (1.2 liter)
Thai chilies (thinly sliced)
1 handful rice paddy herbs (ngò om/rau ngổ) (finely chopped) (highly recommend)
1 handful sawtooth coriander, lemon basil, Thai basil (finely chopped) (substituted for paddy herbs)
1 tbsp fried garlic (or fried shallots) (optional)

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Instructions

Make Fried Garlic:

Fry minced garlic in cooking oil until it turns a light golden brown. Quickly strain it to separate the fried garlic, as the residual heat will continue to cook it. Avoid letting it brown too much to prevent burning.

Prepare the Vegetables:

Finely chop the herbs and slice the chili.
Trim the stem ends of the okra and cut it into 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) pieces.
Peel the elephant ear stems and cut them diagonally into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces.
Cut the tomato into thick wedges and the pineapple into bite-sized chunks. If using canned pineapple, drain and reserve the liquid, then cut the pineapple rings into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the Soup:

In a pot, pour in boiling water. Add the tomatoes and pineapple (reserving 2-3 wedges of tomato for garnish). Simmer over medium-low heat to allow the fresh flavors to infuse.
In a heatproof bowl, place the tamarind pulp. Add 2 ladles of boiling water from the pot. Use a spoon to crush the tamarind pulp and dilute it into the water to make a concentrate. Skip this step if using store-bought tamarind concentrate or powder.
Add 3-4 tbsp of the tamarind liquid back (without seeds) to the pot. Season the soup with fish sauce, chicken powder, sugar, and the juice from the pineapple can (if using). Adjust each ingredient gradually, avoiding adding them all at once. Canh Chua has a flavor profile that is slightly sweeter and less sour than Thai Tom Yum.
Bring the water back to a boil. Then, add the fish and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until the fish is fully cooked.
Next, add the okra, elephant ear stems, and the reserved tomato. Cook for an additional minute.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the bean sprouts, shredded banana blossoms (if using), and chopped herbs (reserving some for garnish). Be cautious not to overcook the bean sprouts and herbs. Season the soup once more with fish sauce and sugar if needed.
Serve the soup in a large bowl, garnishing it with the reserved herbs, sliced chili, and fried garlic.