Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup (Canh Chua Ca)

Name: Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup (Canh Chua Ca)
Yield: Serves 2-4 servings
Ingredients: 1 red grouper, about 1 1/3 pounds (600 grams) after cleaning; 5 cups water (about 1,200 grams); 1 clove garlic; 1 chili pepper; 1.5 ounces onion, sliced thinly (about 40 grams); 7 ounces ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks (about 200 grams); 7 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 200 grams); 1 ounce tamarind paste, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water (about 30 grams); 2.8 ounces fresh radish leaves, washed and cut into thumb-length pieces (about 80 grams); 2 stalks lemongrass, top thin part removed, bottom bruised; Chopped green onions, to taste; A few Italian parsley leaves (can substitute with cilantro leaves); Salt, to taste; Vietnamese fish sauce, to taste

TOOTS @toots

台灣

Unlike the traditional Vietnamese sweet and sour fish soup, this version takes a bit more time to sauté the onions and tomatoes until soft, enriching the flavor and color of the broth without needing to add sugar, chicken powder, or MSG.

Vietnamese fish sauce, like soy sauce in Taiwan, comes in different grades. If possible, use fish sauce with a high nitrogen content (above 40°N) for cooking. Be warned, once you try it, you might find it hard to go back to regular fish sauce!

This recipe can also be adapted to use shell-on shrimp to make shrimp soup, but be sure to significantly reduce the cooking time for the shrimp to avoid overcooking them.

TOOTS @toots

台灣

This recipe can also be adapted to use shell-on shrimp to make shrimp soup, but be sure to significantly reduce the cooking time for the shrimp to avoid overcooking them.

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Ingredients

Serves 2-4 servings

1red grouper, about 1 1/3 pounds (600 grams) after cleaning
5 cupswater (about 1,200 grams)
1 clovegarlic
1chili pepper
1.5 ouncesonion, sliced thinly (about 40 grams)
7 ouncesripe tomatoes, cut into chunks (about 200 grams)
7 ouncesfresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 200 grams)
1 ouncetamarind paste, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water (about 30 grams)
2.8 ouncesfresh radish leaves, washed and cut into thumb-length pieces (about 80 grams)
2 stalkslemongrass, top thin part removed, bottom bruised
Chopped green onions, to taste
A fewItalian parsley leaves (can substitute with cilantro leaves)
Salt, to taste
Vietnamese fish sauce, to taste

Saved

Steps

1

Take a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, large enough to hold the whole fish. Add oil to the pot and sauté the onion, chili pepper, and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato chunks and continue to sauté until the tomato skins separate from the flesh. Remove and discard all the tomato skins.
2

Add water to the pot from step 1, along with the lemongrass and the water from the dissolved tamarind paste (remove seeds). Once the water boils, place the fish in the pot, cover, and boil over high heat for 8-10 minutes. (It's recommended to weigh down the lid with something heavy.)
3

Carefully remove the whole fish from step 2 and place it on a plate. Reduce the pot to low heat, keeping the broth at a gentle simmer. Add the pineapple chunks and cook for 3 minutes, then add the fresh radish leaves and cook for about 1-2 minutes before turning off the heat. Season with salt and fish sauce to taste.
4

Divide the fish from step 3 into four portions (remove skin and bones).
5

Evenly divide the broth from step 3 into four small bowls, add the fish, and sprinkle with chopped green onions and Italian parsley leaves (or cilantro leaves).