9/2/2023 0 Comments Sweet and sour soupAnd not all restaurant hot and sour soups are created equal either – not by a long shot. Good restaurant Chinese hot and sour soup has a very distinct flavor that can be challenging to replicate. A typical dinner at our house usually included this Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup, a bubbling pot of Ca Kho To (Vietnamese Caramelized Catfish in a Clay Pot) and a plate of Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef).This thoroughly authentic Chinese Hot and Sour Soup recipe is carefully crafted, jam-packed with flavor, rivals your very favorite restaurant version, and is sure to WOW your dinner guests! I hope you enjoy this Canh Chua Ca recipe. Top it off with chopped rice paddy herbs and fried shallots and serve immediately. The bean sprouts and taro stems will continue to cook in the hot soup. Allow it to come back to a boil and turn off the heat. When the fish is cooked, add the bean sprouts and taro stems. The 2” steaks pictured above took about 10 minutes to cook through. Depending on how thick your fish is, you may need to add or subtract some time. Cover and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes. All the incredible complementary flavors will begin to meld together.Īfter 10 minutes of simmering, add the catfish steaks. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and pineapple, then top it off with 6 cups of water. Stir well to incorporate everything, around 10 seconds or so, just long enough for it to come to a boil. Since the pot is already hot, everything will begin to bubble quickly. Add the tamarind concentrate, fish sauce and sugar. Next, we incorporate the salty and sweet ingredients. We just want to give the garlic some color and release the intense flavors. When the oil is hot, add minced garlic, sliced chilis and lemongrass. Start by heating a 5 quart pot over medium heat. The first step to making Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Catfish Soup is the aromatics. Of course, if you don't like spicy food, no need to add it. I love the kick it gives you when every now and then, a sip of soup is accompanied with a chili seed. I add 2-4 Thai chilis depending on the spice level I'm in the mood for. THAI CHILI – This adds spiciness without changing the flavor of the soup. It's not an essential ingredient but I love having the extra layer of sweet and sour in the soup. PINEAPPLE – Canned or fresh pineapple will work. I've seen lemongrass at most American supermarkets, even Walmart. You can skip lemongrass if you can't find it. With the back of a knife or a pestle, carefully pound and bruise the thick ends to release the citrussy flavor. All the flavor is in the thick end of the stalk. Trim and discard the top half of the lemongrass which doesn't have much flavor. To prepare lemongrass, remove the dry light green outer layers until you're left with a pale yellow core. LEMONGRASS – This adds a bright lemony flavor with hints of ginger and rounds out the soup base. This is a very quick and easy soup to make. Don't let the ingredients list intimate you. I offer some alternatives that you can use in a pinch. Depending on where you live, a few of the ingredients may not be readily available. Each ingredient brings a different flavor and texture to the party. There are quite a few ingredients in this Canh Chua recipe, some of which are my personal favorite. We would purchase a whole catfish, use half for Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup and use the other half for Vietnamese Caramelized Catfish in Clay Pot (Ca Kho To). The most traditional types for this dish are catfish or mudfish. If you choose to use fish in this soup, the type of fish you use is entirely up to you. One single taste will keep you wanting more. This soup sways toward the sour/tart side with its tamarind soup base and tomatoes but it is balanced out with the sweetness of the pineapple, the savoriness of the fish sauce and fried shallots, and spiciness from the Thai chilis. There is a delicate balance between these flavors and Canh Chua is the perfect example. The combination of sour, sweet, salty and spicy are commonly found in Southeast Asian recipes. If you choose to use shrimp instead of fish, you have yourself another common variation, Canh Chua Tôm, which is "Sour Shrimp Soup." The addition of a protein, usually catfish, gives you what I am making here, Canh Chua Ca or "Sour Fish Soup." It is also commonly known as Vietnamese Catfish Soup or Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup. Canh Chua is a traditional Vietnamese soup with a sweet and sour broth.
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