Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup (Canh Chua Cá)

Canh chua cá is an iconic Vietnamese sweet and sour soup made with pineapples, tamarind, tomatoes, and catfish. It’s sweetened with pineapple and its sour component comes from tamarind.

SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOK TIME: 20 MINS TOTAL TIME: 25 MINS

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube
• 4 large tomatoes, quartered
• 20 ounces pineapple chunks
• 3 stalks elephant ear or celery, thinly sliced
• 1 pound catfish
• 2 spoonfuls tamarind paste
• 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 6 ounces bean sprouts
• 4 servings rice
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add onion and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add bouillon, tomatoes, pineapples, celery, catfish, tamarind, fish sauce, ginger, sugar, and bean sprouts. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.

3. Add enough water to cover everything by half an inch and bring to a boil.

4. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until fish is cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5. Divide rice into 4 serving bowls. Ladle soup over rice. Top with dill. Enjoy!

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