Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup)

Canh Chua Cá - Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup

Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup)

Canh chua is a wonderfully adaptable, easy-to-make Vietnamese sweet-and-sour soup. The soup base itself can be customized quite extensively, but it generally features the tangy and unique flavour of tamarind, along with tomato, pineapple, vegetables, herbs, and any of a number proteins.

The recipe as given below is for a fish/seafood based version (canh chua ca). See the notes below for other variations.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Keyword canh chua ca, canh chua tom, sweet and sour soup, Vietnamese soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 390kcal

Ingredients

Fish and Soup Base

3/4 lb catfish, basa, or other firm white fish
2 tbsp fish sauce
10 cups stock fish, chicken, or vegetable (see note)
1 stalk lemongrass (optional)
1/3 cup tamarind paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cumin
2 shallots thinly sliced
2/3 lb prawns whole or peeled
1/3 lb fresh pineapple
2 tomatoes cut into wedges
1/2 lb okra
1/2 lb bean sprouts
salt to taste

To Adjust/Serve

cilantro or ngo gai
rice paddy herb (ngo om) (optional)
fish sauce
palm sugar
fried garlic (see note)
chilies sliced (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the fish in a bowl and pour fish sauce over it. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Place stock in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
Bruise the lemongrass stalk with the back of a large knife and add it to the pot.
Add the tamarind paste, sugar, and cumin to the pot and stir to combine. Add the fish with fish sauce and the shallots. Simmer until the fish is cooked through. The amount of time necessary will depend on how thick the pieces of fish are, but plan for at least 10 minutes.
Remove the fish from the pot and set aside. Add the prawns, pineapple, tomato and simmer for about 3 minutes minutes. Add the okra and continue to cook until it's tender and the shrimp are finished.
Add the bean sprouts to the hot soup and salt to taste (note that diners can adjust the saltiness individually with fish sauce, so don't overdo it). Serve with all of the toppings and plenty of herbs.

Notes

Stock - All kinds of stock can be used here, and you can adapt based on the ingredients you want to use. Chicken stock is a great, fairly neutral option. I highly recommend using a low sodium stock , as it lets you better control the final flavour of the soup.

Canh Chua Variations

Fish - Basa, catfish, and snakehead are all popular. Cod, halibut, sole, rockfish, snapper, and any number of other white fish varieties would also work. Less 'neutral' fish like salmon and eel are also popular.
Shellfish - Shrimp/prawns are a canh chua classic. Crab and squid are also great options. Clams and mussels are excellent choices, but you'll need to use more of them to account for the weight of the shells (clams in particular have rather heavy shells).
Chicken - Easy and simple. Try shredded chicken, or even pan-fried ground chicken.
Pork - Popular in many northern Vietnamese variations, pork (generally either minced or as short ribs) works very nicely, particularly alongside fermented vegetables (see below).
Vegetables & Herbs - Boldly flavoured ingredients like pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots are a great choices, and also compliment many of the meats very nicely. Hearty leafy greens like water spinach (rau muống, commonly called ong choy in North America) make excellent and very healthy choices.
Tofu - An easy choice, albeit a somewhat neutral choice. Consider pairing tofu with other more boldly flavoured ingredients.

For meat and seafood variations, aim for 500-600 grams (1.1-1.3 lbs) of meat, and perhaps less for pork. Be sure to take into account the weight of any non-meat portions (e.g. shells and bones) before you start cooking. If you want to use even less meat, consider adding some tofu, or just more hearty vegetables.

For tofu, I would use about 450 grams (1 lb), or less if you're using a very firm tofu.

Fried Garlic - While the various condiments are all personal and optional, I highly recommend using fried garlic to finish your canh chua. You can buy it in some grocery stores, but I recommend making your own ahead of time. This is a good guide/recipe for getting started.

Nutrition