Description
Thanks to my husband’s sudden and annoying shrimp allergy, classic canh chua tom is no-go. This canh chua muc is our new go-to. It is a vibrant, sweet-and-sour soup with fresh squid, okra, pineapple, and tomatoes in a tamarind broth. Serve it with steamed rice for a complete Vietnamese meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 10 oz squid
- 6 oz tomatoes
- 6 oz pineapple
- 6 oz okra
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 small shallot
- Red chilies (optional)
- 1 oz herbs of choice (rice paddy herb, culantro, Thai basil)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or neutral oil
- 4 cups water
- 5 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
- 1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (3 crabs brand)
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder (can sub with mushroom seasoning powder)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredient: Slice the okra, tomatoes, and pineapple into bite-sized pieces. Finely mince the garlic and shallot, and thinly slice the red chili peppers. Roughly chop the rice paddy herbs for the garnish. Finally, prepare the squid (if you haven’t already) by cleaning it and cutting it into small pieces.
- Make fried shallot and garlic: Use a medium pot with thick sides, heat up neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add your minced shallots and fry until they just begin to turn light brown, then add the garlic (garlic burns quickly so they go second). Tilt the pot to create a pool of oil if needed to ensure even frying. Fish out the fried aromatics and set them aside to use as a topping later.
- Sauté the squid: In that same aromatic oil, add squid. Sauté them for about one minute.
- Sauté the tomatoes and pineapples: Add the tomatoes and lightly pan-fry them for another minute to bring out their red color and sweetness.
- Add water and okra and bring it to boil to meld together the flavors. As soon as it comes to simmer (about 8 minute), turn off the heat.
- Season and garnish: Once the flavors have had a chance to meld together, add tamarind, salt, fish sauce, bouillon powder and sugar. Top the soup with the fried shallots, garlic, and your herb garnish. Serve it hot with a side of steamed rice for a complete meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Side Dish, Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese