Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Vietnamese Canh Chua Fish Soup
越南羅望子菠蘿魚湯
Recipe overview
Vietnamese Canh Chua balances tamarind, pineapple and tomato in a light sweet-sour broth, with fish added late and finished with okra, sprouts and herbs.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g boneless fish fillet (cut into 5 cm pieces)
- 250 g fresh pineapple (cut into chunks)
- 2 medium tomatoes (cut into wedges)
- 150 g okra (cut diagonally into thick pieces)
- 150 g bean sprouts
- 2 stalks celery stalks (sliced diagonally)
Spices and broth
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1.3 litres water
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- to taste salt
Garnish
- 20 g coriander
- 10 g mint leaves
02
Tools
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
- kitchen paper
- mixing bowl
- small bowl
- colander
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- lidded soup pot
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- kitchen tongs
- white serving bowl
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Inspect the fish
Thaw fish fully in the refrigerator and discard it if strongly smelly, slimy or discoloured.
Step 2
Dry and cut the fish
Pat fish dry, check for bones, remove any found, cut into 5 cm pieces and refrigerate.
Step 3
Prepare pineapple and tomato
Cut pineapple into bite-size chunks and tomatoes into wedges, keeping them separate.
Step 4
Prepare okra and celery
Trim and diagonally cut okra into thick pieces and slice celery diagonally.
Step 5
Wash sprouts and herbs
Wash and drain sprouts, coriander and mint separately, picking herbs into small sprigs.
Step 6
Mix the tamarind base
Whisk tamarind with half a cup of warm water and measure fish sauce and sugar separately.
Step 7
Sauté the garlic
Heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic for about 1 minute until pale gold.
Step 8
Cook the pineapple-tomato broth
Add water, pineapple and tomato, bring to the boil and simmer 6 minutes.
Step 9
Add tamarind, okra and celery
Add four-fifths of the tamarind mixture, okra and celery and simmer 3 minutes.
Step 10
Poach the fish
Arrange fish in one layer and simmer 4–5 minutes, turning gently only once.
Step 11
Season and check the fish
Add fish sauce and sugar, confirm fish reaches 63°C and only then adjust tamarind or salt.
Step 12
Add sprouts and herbs and serve
Turn off the heat, stir in sprouts for 30 seconds, add coriander and mint and ladle gently into bowls.
Common mistakes
- Adding fish too early makes it break apart and dry.
- Adding all tamarind at once can unbalance the acidity.
Tips
Use thick fish fillets so pieces stay intact.
Make the final sweet-sour adjustment after the fish is cooked.
