Okra and Fish Soup (Canh Chua Ca)

This is a fragrant sweet and sour soup with a light and refreshing taste. In Vietnam, a fish head is used to prepare this recipe. For my own taste, I never like to eat the fish head because it has a too strong "fishy" flavor. The broth is a chicken broth and flavored with herbs, pineapple, and tomato. The tamarind pulp adds sour to the soup, but lemon juice can be a substitute. I only make this soup if I can get my hands on taro stems and okras because these two vegetables make the flavor different for the soup. Most of the Vietnamese restaurants use a red snapper or catfish for this recipe. However, using a fish fillet for this recipe will not change the taste of it. For me, cooking should always be fun and easy.  The soup tastes good if the broth is well flavored. The rest of it is always your own preference and taste.

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 dry hot chili
A bunch of cilantro stems, basil stems, and lemon zest
Two 10 oz fish fillets, such as cod, halibut, catfish, or trout
1 cup white onions, sliced
6 fresh okras
2 large tomato, wedged
2 cup sliced pineapple
3 cups sliced fresh taro stems
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp salt
3 tbs tamarind powder or lemon juice

Garnish with chopped green onions, dill, cilantro, and basil
Red hot chili, sliced

Directions:
Cut fish fillets into pieces.

 

Slice okra and taro stems diagonally.
Cut pineapple into chunks.

In a medium pot, flavor the broth with a bunch of cilantro, basil, lemon zest,hot chili and garlic. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the solids and discard. Drain the broth. Add fish sauce, salt, sugar, and tamarind powder. Bring to boil and add the fish. Cook for 3 minutes. Skim off the impurities that rise to the surface. Add all the vegetables except the bean sprouts and all of the herbs.

 Continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Place the bean sprouts on the bottom of the serving bowl.

Ladle the soup with fish and vegetables over the top of the bean sprouts.

Sprinkle on top all the herbs and chili. Serve with rice or rice noodles.