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Canh Chua Recipe

Canh Chua Recipe

Canh Chua Recipe I grew up eating… sweet, sour, a lil salty and honestly one of those soups I can drink even on hot days. My version is super close to my mom’s, but with some small shortcuts because, well, life gets busy and I don’t always find every Vietnamese veggie in the store.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4 People
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: Chinese, Singaporean, Asian, Vietnamese
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Amount Unit Name Notes
  • 1.5 lb catfish cut into chunks rinse well
  • 1 whole onion peeled halved
  • 1 cup water for tamarind
  • 1.5 oz tamarind pulp/block or 2 tbsp concentrate
  • 2 whole tomatoes quartered
  • 1 can pineapple 20oz chunks
  • 10 oz taro stem bac ha sub celery if u can’t find
  • 12 oz bean sprouts rinse well
  • 2 stalks lemongrass smashed lightly
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce add more later if needed
  • 1 tsp sugar adjust to taste
  • 1 pinch salt to season broth
  • 1 handful rice paddy herb or lemon basil
  • 1 tbsp oil for sautéing
  • 1 optional chili pepper for heat

Equipment

  • 1 Large soup pot Big enough for 6–7 cups liquid
  • 1 Fine mesh strainer For tamarind pulp
  • 1 Cutting board Veggies everywhere so use a big one
  • 1 Knife A sharp one helps a lot

Method
 

Step 1 – Clean the Fish
  1. Add the catfish to a bowl and rinse it well. If it feels slimy (mine does alot), rub a little salt on it then rinse again. Set aside.
Step 2 – Make Tamarind Liquid
  1. In a small pot, heat 1 cup water + tamarind. Let it simmer till the pulp melts down. Mash it with the back of a spoon a bit. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve and keep the clean liquid.
Step 3 – Build the Fragrant Base
  1. Heat oil in your big soup pot. Add garlic, chili (if using), and lemongrass. Sauté 20–30 seconds till it smells amazing.
Step 4 – Flavor the Broth
  1. Add the tamarind liquid, fish sauce, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 5 – Add Tomatoes & Pineapple
  1. Throw in the tomatoes, onion, and pineapple. Pour in 5–6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes.
Step 6 – Cook the Catfish
  1. Add the catfish pieces in gently. Simmer 8–12 minutes. Don’t stir too much or the fish fall apart. Skim off any foam on top.
Step 7 – Add Veggies & Herbs
  1. Turn off the heat and add bean sprouts, taro stem (or celery), rice paddy herb, and scallions if you like. The hot broth will cook everything just right.
Step 8 – Taste & Adjust
  1. If it's too sour → add a bit of sugar.
  2. If it’s too sweet → more tamarind.
  3. If it tastes “meh” → fish sauce fixes that.

Notes

I always store the fish separately when I have leftovers so it doesn’t get mushy the next day.
If you can’t find bac ha (taro stem), celery works shockingly well, even tho my mom would yell at me for saying that 😅.
– Add more pineapple if you like sweeter soup—sometimes I do that when I’m in the mood.