Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup)
Southern Vietnam's everyday soup: tangy tamarind broth sweetened by pineapple, with tender fish, tomato, bean sprouts and a spoon of golden garlic oil.
Method
Cut the fish into 3 cm pieces (or 2 cm thick steaks) and pat dry with kitchen paper. Toss with part of the fish sauce and the pepper and leave for while you prepare everything else.
Add in this stepWhite fish (catfish, basa or tilapia steaks or fillets) 300 gFish sauce ¾ tbspBlack pepper 1 pinch
Put the tamarind in a small bowl, pour over the hot water (part of the total) and soak for , then mash with a spoon and push through a sieve. Keep the sour liquid and throw away the seeds and fibres. Meanwhile, cut the pineapple into thin bite-sized slices, the tomato into wedges and the okra into 1.5 cm diagonal pieces. Peel the taro stem and slice it 1 cm thick on the diagonal (celery the same), rinse and drain the sprouts, and chop the herbs, spring onions and chilli.
Add in this stepTamarind pulp (seedless block) or paste 1½ tbspWater 85 ml
Put the oil and minced garlic in a small pan over medium-low heat and stir for until light golden, then pour straight into a small bowl. Left in the pan, the garlic keeps cooking and quickly turns bitter.
Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspGarlic cloves 3
medium-low heatPour the rest of the water into a 20 cm pot and bring to the boil on high heat, about . Add the tamarind liquid, sugar, the remaining fish sauce, pineapple and tomato, turn down to medium heat and simmer for so the pineapple sweetens the broth.
Add in this stepWater 765 mlSugar 2½ tspFish sauce 1¾ tbspPineapple (fresh or canned) 120 gTomato 1
high heat→medium heatSlide in the fish one piece at a time and cook on medium heat for . Don't stir for the first 2 minutes or the fish will break. Skim off any foam. It is done when the flesh is opaque white all the way through and flakes easily when pressed.
medium heatAdd the okra and taro stem and cook on medium heat for . Taste: sour, sweet and salty should all come through, so adjust with salt (or a little more fish sauce or sugar). Add the bean sprouts and turn off the heat at once; the leftover heat cooks them while they stay crunchy.
Add in this stepOkra 4Taro stem (bạc hà) or celery 80 gSalt to tasteBean sprouts 80 g
medium heatLadle into bowls, scatter over the herbs, spring onions and chilli, and spoon the garlic oil from step 3 on top. Serve with steamed rice; many families lift out the fish and dip it in a little fish sauce.
Add in this stepRice paddy herb (ngò om) or coriander leaves 6 gSpring onions 1Bird's eye chilli 1
Cook's tip
Tamarind varies a lot in sourness, so start with less and add more after tasting at the end. Canned pineapple works if rinsed; use a little less sugar. Fish turns mushy if it boils too long, so turn off the heat as soon as it is cooked.
Cooking it at camp
One burner is enough. Bring the strained tamarind liquid and cut vegetables from home in tubs, keep the fish cold in the cooler and cook it the same day. Making the garlic oil at home saves time at camp.