Canh Chua Ca (Sour Fish Soup)
A tangy Vietnamese fish soup with tamarind, pineapple, and okra. Light, aromatic, and authentically balanced between sour, savory, and subtle heat.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 187
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 4 cups Fish stock or water
- 2 tablespoons Tamarind paste
- ¾ pound Fish catfish or mackerel, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 cup Fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup Fresh okra, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
- ½ whole Red Thai chili, sliced into thin rings
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1
Stir the tamarind paste into 0.5 cup of warm water in a small bowl, breaking apart any lumps with the back of a spoon, until the mixture looks like thin mud, about 1 minute.
- 2
Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or spoon, then cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes on a cutting board.
- 3
Hold each okra pod on the cutting board, position your knife at a 45-degree angle, and slice diagonally to create 1-inch-long pieces.
- 4
Slice the chili lengthwise in half, remove the seed pod with your knife tip, then slice each half crosswise into thin rings about the thickness of a dime.
- 5
Roughly chop the cilantro leaves into pieces about the size of your fingernail and place in a small bowl.
- 6
Pour 4 cups of fish stock into a 3-quart pot and bring it to a boil over high heat — you'll see large, rapidly breaking bubbles covering the surface, about 5 minutes.
- 7
Pour the tamarind mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the boiling stock, pressing gently with the back of a spoon to extract all liquid and leave solids behind.
- 8
Add the fish chunks to the pot and lower the heat to medium, so the liquid simmers gently with small bubbles rising steadily, about 2 minutes.
- 9
Wait 3 minutes without stirring — the fish will turn opaque and firm when done — then gently stir once with a wooden spoon to separate any pieces that touch.
- 10
Pour in the fish sauce and stir once with a wooden spoon to combine, about 5 seconds.
- 11
Add the pineapple cubes and okra pieces to the pot and stir gently once with a wooden spoon to distribute them evenly.
- 12
Simmer the soup without stirring for 2 minutes — the okra will turn bright green when done — then taste a spoonful and adjust seasoning if needed.
- 13
Ladle the soup into two bowls, dividing the fish, pineapple, and okra evenly and filling each bowl about three-quarters full with broth.
- 14
Scatter the chili rings evenly over the surface of each bowl — about 0.25 teaspoon per bowl — then sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top.
- 15
Serve immediately while the soup is steaming hot.
Tools you’ll need
- small mixing bowl
- fine-mesh strainer
- 3-quart pot
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- melon baller or spoon
- wooden spoon
- soup ladle
- two bowls
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