Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua)
A sweet and sour soup made with pork, catfish, and a variety of traditional Vietnamese vegetables.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 ½ lb pork
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 ½ oz fresh tamarind
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 can pineapple (20 oz)
- 1 piece ginger (1 inch long)
- 1 ½ lb catfish (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 10 oz elephant ear stem (cut into chunks)
- 3 tomatoes (quartered)
- 12 oz bean sprouts
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 oz rice paddy herb
Instructions
- 1
Add pork to a large soup pot. Cover with water until it just covers the pork. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Take out the pork and then throw away the water. This process cleans the pork. Rinse the pot and add the pork back. Cover the pork with fresh water until it just covers the meat. Bring to a boil.
- 2
Add the onion and simmer for 1.5 hours. Make sure to check every 30 minutes for impurities. Scoop away any you see.
- 3
While the soup is simmering, combine 1 cup of water and tamarind in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the tamarind dissolves.You can help speed up the process by using the back of a spoon to crush the tamarind. Pour the tamarind through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl. Set aside.
- 4
After simmering the soup for 1.5 hours, add the pineapple and ginger to the soup. Simmer for another 20 minutes.
- 5
Put the catfish in and simmer for another 10 minutes until it is cooked through.
- 6
Lastly, add the vegetables and tamarind from step 3. Bring the soup to a boil and serve with a side of white rice. Make sure to taste the soup for seasoning and add more salt if it tastes bland.