Vietnam · Soups
Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sour Soup)
A southern Vietnamese sour soup from the Mekong Delta: a tamarind-based broth balanced with pineapple sweetness and fish sauce umami, filled with fish steaks or shrimp, tomatoes, okra, and bean sprouts, finished with…
Ingredients
- catfish steaks or firm white fish600 g
- fish sauce2 tbsp
- tamarind concentrate or 40 g block tamarind dissolved in 150 ml hot water and strained3 tbsp
- water or light fish or chicken stock1.5 l
- fresh pineapple, cut into 3 cm chunks200 g
- ripe tomatoes, cut into thick wedges2
- okra, halved on the diagonal150 g
- bean sprouts150 g
- fish sauce2 tbsp
- sugar1 tbsp
- garlic cloves, thinly sliced4
- neutral oil3 tbsp
- large handful of rice paddy herb or Thai basil and cilantro combined1
- fresh red chillies, sliced, to serve2
- scallions, sliced2
Method
- 1Marinate the fish. Coat the fish steaks or pieces with 2 tbsp fish sauce and set aside for 15 minutes (in the fridge if the kitchen is warm). The fish sauce seasons the fish and helps it hold together when added to the broth.
- 2Make crispy garlic. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry gently, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Watch carefully — garlic burns from golden to bitter in seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel and set aside. Keep the garlic oil in the pan.
- 3Build the broth. In a medium pot, bring the stock or water to a boil. Add the tamarind concentrate and stir to dissolve. Add the pineapple chunks and tomato wedges. Add the remaining 2 tbsp fish sauce and the sugar. Taste: the broth should already have a clear sour-sweet note. Adjust with more tamarind if too mild, more sugar if too sharp. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4Cook the fish and vegetables. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add the marinated fish steaks carefully — do not stir, as the fish is delicate. Simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes until the flesh is opaque and flakes when pressed (63°C / 145°F at the bone). In the last 2 minutes, add the okra, then the bean sprouts; let the soup come back to a full boil, count 30 seconds, and turn off the heat — the sprouts are cooked through and just wilted.
- 5Finish and serve. Ladle the soup into deep bowls. Place a piece of fish in each bowl. Drizzle a teaspoon of the reserved garlic oil over each serving. Scatter the crispy garlic on top. Add the fresh herbs (rice paddy herb or Thai basil and cilantro), sliced chillies, and scallions at the very last moment before serving — the heat of the soup blooms their aroma. Serve immediately alongside steamed white rice. A small bowl of fish sauce on the side for individual seasoning is traditional.