Description
A light and refreshing fish soup made with delicious white pompano, tomatoes, lemon juice, and sour bamboo for a hint of tartness. This soup nicely accompanies steamed rice in a traditional Vietnamese family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Fish/Sour Bamboo
- 1 whole pompano fish (about 1 lb)
- 1 lb package sour bamboo
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG
Soup
- 1 quart water
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 3 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG
- Juice half large lemon or lime
Vegetables and Other Ingredients
- 1 large ripe tomato (cut into wedges)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- Cilantro/basil/rice paddy herbs (thinly slice leaves)
- Red chili peppers
Instructions
- Prepare fish and bamboo: Clean the fish thoroughly under cold running water and drain dry. Slice into 1 ½ inch steaks. Set aside in a bowl. Drain sour bamboo from the accompanying liquid, rinse well with hot water and squeeze dry. Set aside in a separate bowl. Season both evenly with divided fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, and MSG. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Pan fry garlic: In a medium pot, heat vegetable oil on medium-high. Add garlic and fry until golden brown. You can set aside half of the fried garlic as garnish if you wish.
- Lightly fry fish and bamboo: Add marinated fish to the pot. Toss to coat in garlic oil and lightly cook for 30 seconds. Push fish aside then add marinated bamboo. Toss and cook in garlic oil as well for 30 seconds.
- Add the rest and season to taste: Add water and bring it to a low simmer. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Use a mesh or small spoon to scoop out any scum that floats to the top. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Season soup to taste with fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, MSG, and lemon/lime juice.
- Finish: Garnish with fried garlic, cilantro/basil/rice paddy herbs, and chili peppers.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese