Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup

Sour Fish Soup is a very common Cambodian dish, but this is modified in a Vietnamese style. After immigrating to the US and living in close proximity to Little Saigon, my family started incorporating elements of Vietnamese cuisine in their cooking.

Recipe Courtesy of: Auntie Soy

When my Auntie Soy arrived in the US, she landed with a group of 17 other family members and her 4 kids. Sadly, however, her husband was not with them.

When the Khmer Rouge forced everyone out of their homes and rounded them into labor camps, one of my cousins - in a haste - had forgotten to wear shoes. When my uncle, Auntie Soy’s husband, tried to go back for them, he was shot by a Communist soldier. The home was no longer theirs, as the regime had abolished all private property ownership.

Like many others who endured such hardships, Auntie Soy is a powerful example of the human capacity to persevere. With a natural tendency to take care of others, she’s always been known to cook massive meals for our giant extended family. Immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to cook with her this past year, including my time learning this yummy soup!

Pictured (above): My grandmother in center. Auntie Soy to her right with her 4 kids in front. Taken around 1979 in the Thai refugee camp, where my family lived for almost 2 years. (below): Grandma in center with Auntie Soy and my cousins standing around. Taken in Santa Ana, CA on Grandma's first birthday in America.

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Ingredients

1 catfish (about 4 lbs)

5 lemongrass stalks

3 oz of kaffir lime leaves (about 25-30 leaves)

(1) 1.4 oz bag of tamarind soup mix

3 tbsp of raw minced garlic

3 tbsp of fried minced garlic

4 tbsp of fish sauce

4 tbsp sugar

2 tsp of MSG

4 stalks of elephant ear stems

5 oz of rice paddy herb

5 oz of sawtooth coriander

5 oz of Thai basil

1/2 pineapple, cubed

1 inch piece of galangal, peeled and sliced

4 Thai chilis, finely chopped

5 large tomatoes, cut into large 1” slices

Instructions

1. Fry 3 tbsp of minced garlic in vegetable oil. Once light brown, remove from heat. Set aside to cool. (You can make extra and transfer to jar for future use).

2. Boil half a pot of water with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal for 20 mins.

3. Chop herbs (sawtooth coriander, rice paddy herb, and Thai basil) into fine pieces.

4. Cut and cube 1/2 of a pineapple.

5. Peel and cut elephant ear stems into angled 1/2" slices.

6. Chop catfish into large pieces (about 8 pieces for a 4 lb cat fish). Cutting it into larger pieces helps to prevent the meat from breaking away as it cooks in the soup.

7. Add raw minced garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt, MSG, tamarind soup mix, and pineapple into the pot. Cook on medium high heat for 5 mins.

8. Add in catfish, and cook for 8-10 mins, until fish is nearly fully cooked.

9. Add in tomatoes, elephant ear stems, and greens. Cook for 4 mins. Add fried garlic.

10. When ready to serve, add chopped Thai chili’s (amount based on spice preference).

Tips

Look for elephant ear stems that are thinner (like the size of celery stalks). The bigger ones are riper and not as suitable for this dish.

Have the market clean and cut your fish if you know you’re going to make your soup pretty quickly after. If not, it’s more ideal to clean and cut the fish yourself at home so it’s fresher.

Try to get tomatoes that are firm, but bright red in color.

Rub the pineapple with salt and rinse to get away the scratchy throat feeling.