Photograph of the finished Sour fish soup

Vietnam · Canh chua cá lóc

Sour fish soup

40 min Hands-on time
EasyDifficulty
5 stepsSteps
Serves 4 Amounts follow along 4

What to get ready

  • Photograph of Snakehead fish Snakehead fish 1.4 lb
  • Photograph of Sour tamarind Sour tamarind 2.8 oz
  • Photograph of Pineapple Pineapple 7.1 oz
  • Photograph of Tomato Tomato 4
  • Photograph of Okra Okra 5.6 oz
  • Photograph of Elephant ear plant Elephant ear plant 7.1 oz
  • Photograph of Bean sprouts Bean sprouts 8.5 oz
  • Photograph of Sawtooth coriander Sawtooth coriander 0.7 oz
  • Photograph of Fish sauce Fish sauce ¼ cup
  • Photograph of Chilli Chilli 4
  • Photograph of Steamed rice Steamed rice 1.8 lb

Method

  1. 1 Soak the tamarind in hot water, strain to extract the sour liquid, and discard the seeds.
  2. 2 To make the broth, add the sliced tomatoes and diced pineapple, and bring to a boil.
  3. 3 Add the sliced snakehead fish, cook for 8 minutes until just cooked, and skim off the foam to keep the broth clear.
  4. 4 Add okra, taro stems, and bean sprouts, and cook for another 2 minutes to keep the vegetables crisp.
  5. 5 Pour in the tamarind juice, season with fish sauce and chili, sprinkle with sawtooth coriander, then turn off the heat.

With an appliance

  • Microwave 35 min

    Replace step 3: place the fish and broth in a bowl with a steam vent, run at 700W for 5 minutes, then add the vegetables in step 4; this method only saves about 3 minutes, but the fish is less likely to be damaged, so it holds its shape better, and you don't need to constantly monitor the pot boiling.

Start cooking