By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
www.globalgourmets.ca michael@globalgourmes.ca
Canh Chua
Whenever I think of soups I immediately run to South East Asia. Soups are a household staple in these countries and boy do they know how to make them…packed full of flavor and freshness with vegetables, meats and seafood garnered from the local village markets. Some of these soups could be considered national dishes. Thailand has its fragrantly delicious Tom Yum, a savory sweet, sour and spicy seafood soup, Vietnam has the legendary Pho Ba redolent with exotic spices and fresh herbs, Malaysia has Laksa, a similar soup with the addition of sweet fresh coconut milk.
This week’s recipe is another Vietnam favorite originating in the seafood rich Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam. Canh Chua is a delicious sweet and sour soup incorporating fish, shrimp,pineapple and fresh herbs all abundant in the Delta. I have many wonderful memories of sipping this addictive concoction in numerous small cafes nestled along the shores of the Mekong River. It is so easy to make and all the ingredients are available in your local Asian grocery store*
*Try the large Asian grocery Fu Tai in the Cotes des Neiges shopping center, it’s on my itinerary every week!
Ingredients
Adapted from ‘The Red Lantern’ by Pauline Nguyen (with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jenson) Serves 2300g tamarind pulp
250-300ml water
1 litre fish stock
1 tablespoon fish sauce (more can be added to taste)
2x1cm thick slices of fresh pineapple, diced
50g (1/3 cup) palm sugar
20gm lemon grass (½ stalk, sliced thinly)
2 tomatoes, diced
200g snow peas or 12 okra, sliced in half on the diagonal
300g bean sprouts
½ cup rice bran oil
1 bird’s eye chilli, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped and fried
2 teaspoons fried garlic
1 cup coriander leaves plucked
Method
Dissolve the tamarind pulp in 250ml warm water. Work the pulp until dissolved and then strain the liquid through a fine sieve, discarding the pulp.
Combine the fish stock, tamarind liquid, fish sauce, pineapple, sugar and lemon grass in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Then add the tomato and boil for 3minutes.
Add the bean sprouts and okra/snow peas to the pot and return to the boil again.
Fry the chilli in the oil, strain the oil off and discard the chilli! (If you are a chilli wimp like me!)
Replace the oil in the pan bring up the heat to fry the shallot until just colored, then add the garlic and fry.
Serve the broth in a pot, top with chopped coriander and sprinkled with the crispy shallot and garlic.
