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Vietnamese

Canh chua cá

Non-vegetarian

A Mekong Delta sour soup of catfish, pineapple, tomato, okra and bean sprouts in a tamarind broth, finished with fried garlic and fresh herbs.

Canh chua cá is a Vietnamese soup, ready in about 40 minutes and made with catfish, tamarind paste and pineapple. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A bowl of canh chua (Vietnamese hot and sour soup)
Photo: Jason Hutchens / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
305

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the fish with 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce (opens in a new tab) and set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

    • 10 min

  2. Step 2

    Fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) and shallot (opens in a new tab) gently in the oil until golden and crisp; lift out half the garlic for garnish.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Bring the water to the boil with the tamarind, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the pineapple (opens in a new tab) and tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 5 minutes.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the fish and simmer gently until just cooked, then add the okra (opens in a new tab) and celery (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes. Season with the remaining fish sauce (opens in a new tab).

    • 7 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Cook fish until it flakes easily and is opaque throughout.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Take the pot off the stove, add the bean sprouts (opens in a new tab) and the shallot (opens in a new tab) oil from step 2, then serve topped with the reserved crisp garlic (opens in a new tab), chilli and herbs.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Mekong Delta, Vietnam · Well documentedMore food from Vietnam
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sour, sweet & sour, fresh, herby
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pot
Cook more with
Catfish · Tamarind paste · Pineapple · Fish sauce · Sugar · Tomato
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom catfish, fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Celeryfrom celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

305 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 715 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 29%
  • Carbohydrate 39%
  • Fat 32%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy305 kcal43 kcal
Protein22.7 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate30.3 g4.2 g
Net carbohydrate26.5 g3.7 g
Sugars20.6 g2.9 g
Added sugars6.3 g0.9 g
Fibre3.8 g0.5 g
Fat11.2 g1.6 g
Saturated fat2 g0.3 g
Trans fat0.1 g0 g
Cholesterol69 mg10 mg
Sodium1480 mg207 mg
Salt equivalent3.7 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
876 mg
Calcium
114 mg
Iron
1.7 mg
Magnesium
104 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
50 µg
Vitamin C
49 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
3.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
75 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: celery.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Balance is everything — taste and adjust sour, sweet and salty at the end.

Common mistakes

  • Stirring vigorously after the fish goes in breaks it into pieces.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice and caramel-braised fish or pork (cá kho / thịt kho) — a classic southern pairing.

Storage

  • Best eaten on the day.

Variations

  • Canh chua tôm: Use prawns instead of fish.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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