Vietnamese · Mekong Delta
Canh Chua
Canh chua (sour soup) is a Southern Vietnamese soup of sweet-sour tamarind broth with fish (catfish or snakehead), pineapple, tomato, okra, elephant ear taro stem, and bean sprouts. The defining character is the simultaneous sweet-sour-savoury balance — the tamarind provides the sour note, sugar and pineapple provide sweetness, fish sauce provides the salinity, and the freshwater fish provides the protein. This is the home cooking of the Mekong Delta.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
300g
catfish or snakehead fillets
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400ml
coconut milk
Your own market
200g
fresh tamarind paste
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30ml
fish sauce
Your own market
250g
pineapple
cut into 3cm chunks
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
150g
okra
halved lengthwise
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4 cloves
garlic
sliced
Your own market
2
Thai bird's eye chillies
split
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15ml
vegetable oil
Your own market
1 tsp
turmeric powder
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II
The Method
1
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; bloom garlic and turmeric together for 90 seconds until fragrant.
2
Add tamarind paste and fish sauce, stir to combine, simmer for 2 minutes to meld flavours.
3
Pour in coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer, then season with additional fish sauce to taste.
4
Slide fish fillets into broth, poach for 4 minutes until just opaque at the thickest point.
5
Add pineapple chunks and okra, simmer for 5 minutes until okra is tender-crisp.
6
Garnish with split chillies and serve in wide bowls with plenty of broth.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where canh chua lives or dies is the sweet-sour balance — the soup must taste simultaneously tart and sweet, with neither note dominant. Start by adding tamarind, taste, then add sugar in pinches. The correct balance is achieved when you taste the sourness first and the sweetness on the finish. If the sourness is permanent and sharp throughout, add more sugar. If you taste sweetness first, add a small amount more tamarind.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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