Description
A popular variation of a Vietnamese sweet and sour soup with celery. Enjoy with steamed rice and other side dishes for a complete meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Soup
- 1 lb catfish (I typically use a whole catfish head and 1-2 catfish steaks)
- 1 3/4 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 oz tamarind pulp (dissolve in 1/3 cup hot water, strain and discard pulp)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Vegetables/Other Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatoes (quarter)
- 1 lb celery (remove outside fibers and slice thinly at a diagonal)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 garlic cloves (mince)
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves
- 2 Thai chili pepper (optional; slice thin)
Instructions
- Toast aromatics: At the bottom of medium stock pot, heat up vegetable oil. Add garlic and fry until golden (about 30 seconds). Remove garlic and set aside.
- Add catfish and toss in aromatic garlic oil. Add water. Bring the pot it to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Occasionally, use a mesh or small spoon to scoop out any impurities (foam) that float to the top.
- Season with fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, strained tamarind pulp and salt.
- Add celery and cook for 4 minutes (celery needs more cooking time than tomatoes). Add tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes then turn off heat.
- Garnish with basil, chili pepper and fried garlic.
- Prep Time: 4 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese