Vietnamese Tamarind Catfish Soup (Canh Chua Ca)

• 份量: 4 servings
• 准备时间: 5 minutes
• 总时间: 20 minutes

配料

4 cups water

20 grams tamarind pulp

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 large garlic cloves (peel and finely mince)

½ teaspoon salt

1 lb catfish steaks (1-inch thickness)

½ cup sliced pineapples

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder or mushroom seasoning powder

2 cups okra (sliced at a diagonal) and/or elephant ear stems (peeled and sliced at a diagonal)

2 large tomatoes (about ½ lb, slice into thick wedges)

1 cup bean sprouts

¼ cup finely chopped herbs (Thai basil leaves, rice paddy herbs or culantro)

Red Thai chili peppers (optional, cut at a diagonal into thin slices)

步骤

Heat water and prepare the tamarind pulp

Add water (4 cups) to a medium pot and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, soak the tamarind pulp in hot water. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to get a smooth paste. Make sure to scrap the bottom of the sieve to get the paste that’s sticking on the underside. Set aside.

Prepare fried garlic and pan-fry fish and pineapples

Season fish steaks with salt then set aside. To a medium skillet or pan, add oil and freshly minced garlic. Pan fry until it turns a light golden brown color. Remove the fried garlic and leave the aromatic oil in the pan. Add the fish steaks and pan fry in the aromatic oil to build an extra layer of flavor. It doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through. Set the fish aside. Add the pineapples and pan fry those at well. A quick sear on high heat intensifies the pineapple’s flavor. Set pineapples aside.

Build the soup

When the pot comes to a boil, add the fish, pineapples, and tamarind pulp. Let it cook together for 10 minutes to get the flavors to meld together.

Season the soup with fish sauce, sugar, and chicken bouillon powder/mushroom seasoning powder. Adjust the taste to your preference.

Add the vegetables

Start with the bulkier ones like okra/elephant ear stems and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes. Add lighter vegetables next, such as bean sprouts. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Garnish and serve

Turn off the heat. Ladle canh chua into a serving bowl and garnish with finely sliced rice paddy herb, then top with fried garlic and sliced chili peppers if you like it spicy. Serve with steamed rice. You can also serve fish sauce, straight from the bottle, with thinly sliced chili peppers on the side for dipping the fish.