What is Canh Chua?

canh chu is a vietnam soup that can be made in different ways, although it basically consists of seafood and vegetables in sweet and sour broth. The broth is flavored with a tamarind to give an acidic thong and then balance the fruit like pineapple for sweetness. Herbs and chillies are added to provide a hot and spicy taste and some complexity. The type of seafood used can be almost anything available, but it is often a catfish or bass. Vegetables included in Canh Chua usually include the edges that help thicken the sauce, the type of Vietnamese celery, the sprouts of beans and tomatoes that cook with the fish until all flavors melt into the soup. The catfish are most commonly used - including heads, tails and sometimes guts. Other types of fish include sea bass, salmon and tuna. Food can also be crazy with eel, shrimp, beef or no fish at all, even if a fish sauce would be used in its place if available.

Canh Chua sauce is aimed at using Tamarind. It is a very acidic tasty component that can be used fresh, but more often occurs as a paste or concentrated liquid, which is sometimes sweetened. Other ingredients that are common soup are rice paddy herb - called NGO OM - which has a very aromatic taste of caraway, and the Vietnamese coriander called the rau . Lemon grass, pineapple, onion, garlic, ginger, sugar and celery can also be added to the soup base.

variety and the amount of vegetables in Canh Chua differs from one recipe to another. The edges are often included because it can help thicken the sauce as well as fish heads. Tomatoes, beans, water spinach and bamboo shoots are all vegetables that can be found in various versions of Canh Chu. Although not every recipe requires it, ingredients may be added like hot chili peppers, hot sauce, chilli paste or other spicy spices.

Canh Chua is made in a very simple way. All ingredients are added to the pot together with a large amount of water. They are brought to a boil and leave to cook for some time. Fish sauce can be added to increase the taste of seafood if necessary. After cash, the fish can be removed and served separately or the whole soup can be loaded through freshly made white rice.