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Vietnam, Asia · Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup)

Canh Chua Crispy Fish Rice Bowl with Tamarind-Pineapple Glaze

Crisp fried fish tossed in a canh chua-inspired tamarind and pineapple glaze, piled on jasmine rice with crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs and lime.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Cut the fish into 3 cm cubes, pat very dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Any moisture makes the oil spit and the coating soggy. Stir the tamarind into the warm water and strain.

    Add in this stepWhite fish fillet (cod, tilapia or basa) 260 gSalt 1 pinchBlack pepper 1 pinchTamarind paste 1½ tbspWater 70 ml

  2. Halve the cucumber lengthways and slice on the diagonal, and halve the cherry tomatoes. Rinse and drain the sprouts, pick the herb leaves and cut the lime into wedges.

    Add in this stepCucumber ½Cherry tomatoes 6Bean sprouts 60 gMint and coriander leaves 8 gLime ½

  3. Put the tamarind liquid, minced garlic, sliced chilli, palm sugar, fish sauce and finely chopped pineapple in a 16 cm saucepan and simmer on medium heat for , stirring, until syrupy and it coats the back of a spoon thinly. Turn off the heat.

    Add in this stepGarlic cloves 2Bird's eye chilli 1Palm sugar (or light brown sugar) 1½ tbspFish sauce 1 tbspPineapple 100 g

    medium heat

  4. Pour oil 1.5 cm deep into a 22 cm frying pan and heat on medium-high heat to 175 °C (a wooden chopstick dipped in should be ringed by steady small bubbles). Coat the fish evenly in cornflour and shake off the excess. Lower the pieces in gently, away from you, without letting them touch, and fry in batches for , turning once, until golden and crisp. Drain on a rack. The flesh should be opaque white inside. Never leave the oil unattended; if it smokes, turn the heat down.

    Add in this stepCornflour (cornstarch) 3½ tbspVegetable oil for frying 550 ml

    medium-high heat

  5. Warm the glaze briefly on low heat, turn off the heat and toss the fried fish through it quickly. Toss just before serving so the coating stays crunchy.

    low heat

  6. Spoon warm rice into bowls, arrange the fish, cucumber, tomatoes and sprouts on top, scatter with herbs and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

    Add in this stepWarm cooked jasmine rice 360 g

Cook's tip

Potato starch gives an equally crisp coating. If the glaze thickens too much, loosen it with a spoonful of water. Let the used oil cool completely, then strain it for reuse or dispose of it properly.

Cooking it at camp

At camp, shallow-frying in a generous film of oil in a cast-iron pan is safer than a deep layer of hot oil. Make the glaze at home and carry it in a jar; use pot-cooked or instant rice reheated on the burner.