Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup (Canh Chua Ca)

If you’re craving the authentic taste of Vietnam’s traditional home cooking, you have to try this sweet and sour tamarind fish soup.

Made with your choice of fish, tangy tamarind, fresh vegetables, and aromatic herbs, this vibrant soup is a true classic.

While there are many traditional Vietnamese soups, sour tamarind fish soup stands out as the epitome of home-cooked comfort. It perfectly balances the four S’s: sweet, sour, spicy, and savory

Whenever I come home from traveling, I just want traditional Vietnamese food. And nothing is more traditional and satisfying than Vietnamese sweet and sour fish soup (Canh Chua Cá) and its sister dish, Vietnamese braised and caramelized fish (Cá Kho).

Add steamed white rice and you have a complete and traditional Vietnamese home-cooked meal. 

Related Post: The Guide to Cooking Perfectly Steamed Rice: Asian Kid Edition

Make it Your Own

Vietnamese sweet and sour soup can be customized to fit your taste.

You can include a variety of vegetables, but tomatoes are usually the base ingredient.

Other popular vegetables include elephant ear stems (a type of taro known as Bạc Hà in Vietnamese), mushrooms, okra, celery, bean sprouts, and pineapple.

For the most visually appealing soup, try to include a variety of different colors of vegetables.

Proteins can be fish, shrimp, squid, chicken, or tofu. While you can use a variety of vegetables for the soup, stick to one protein.

Traditionally, Canh Chua Cá uses fresh water fish such as catfish, known as Cá Trê in Vietnamese. Nothing goes to waste so catfish head is typically reserved to make a more flavorful fish stock for the soup. Nowadays, fillets or steak-cuts are more widely used.

You can find catfish in many Vietnamese/Asian grocery stores. They also come whole so you can use the head in the soup as well.

If you can’t find catfish, use whatever fish you have on hand. My go-to substitute is salmon. Like catfish, salmon is fatty, has great flavor without too many bones, and it holds up well in the soup. Other recommended fish substitutes are cod, tilapia, and halibut.

Seasonings for Canh Chua

Fish sauce: Essential for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine, fish sauce provides umami flavor. I like to use the OGs of fish sauces. Viet Huong Three Crabs fish sauce is my go-to. It’s delicious and inexpensive. I also like to use Phu Quoc Flying Lion fish sauce.

Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. I’m using fine sea salt.

Sugar: Counterbalances the tartness of the tamarind and adds sweetness to the soup. I’m using regular ole’ granulated white cane sugar.

Chicken bouillon soup base powder or mushroom seasoning/powder: Adds depth of flavor and makes the soup taste more authentic. I always have both chicken bouillon powder and mushroom seasoning powder for a vegetarian option on hand for Vietnamese home cooking. If you don’t want to use or don’t have these bouillon powders, feel free to leave out and replace with a smaller amount of salt.

Tamarind: Gives the soup its characteristic sour flavor. You can use either dried tamarind pulp or tamarind soup base powder. Both are readily available in Vietnamese/Asian supermarkets.

Garnishes for Canh Chua

The garnishes are what truly elevate Canh Chua to culinary perfection. When soup is ready, it’s topped with aromatic herbs such as Thai basil leaves, rice paddy herb, or culantro, and a heap of freshly fried garlic. The resulting aroma is simply irresistible.

Just make sure to add the fresh herbs at serving. You don’t want to cook it as it will darken in hot broth and lose its amazing aroma.

Pro Tip

I’m using a single small stock pot to keep things simple in the recipe below, but you can boil the water for the canh chua soup separately and use a small skillet to pan-fry the garlic.

This way, you can use the same garlic oil to pan-fry the fish before adding it to the boiling water. This adds extra flavor and eliminates any fishy smell, leaving a more pleasant aroma.

FAQs

Can I make Canh Chua ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the broth and cook the protein ahead of time. Add and cook the vegetables when you are ready to serve so they don’t get mushy.

I don’t have any of the fresh herbs you listed. Can I use something else that’s easier to find?

Thai basil is best but any other type of basil will do. Cilantro is the next best substitute. You can also simply omit it entirely but it won’t be as authentic and awesome.

I can’t find tamarind power or pulp. What can I use instead?

If you don’t have tamarind in any form, simply squeeze in lime or lemons for the tartness. Some people have used vinegar too and it works well. You will need to adjust sugar to taste.

Complete the Meal

Sour soup is traditionally served with caramelized claypot catfish (Ca Kho).

Looking for something else? Try these other popular side dishes:

• Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs (Suon Khia or Suon Ram Man)
• Caramelized and Braised Pork Belly with Eggs (Thit Kho Tau)
• Ginger Chicken (Ga Kho Gung)
• Lazy Pan-Fried Lemongrass Pork Ribs with Sweet & Savory Glaze
• Caramelized Shrimp (Tom Rim)

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