Canh Ca Ca Chua (Fish Soup with Tomato)

-
The cold cold weather in CA (it's been about 60 degrees... eek!) has put me in the mood for some soup :). I know, I'm a wuss when it comes to cold weather but that just makes me a big soup lover :)

I love making fish soups because they cook so quickly! Well, today I tried my hand at another Vietnamese fish soup.... and it took me less than half an hour :) This is an easy recipe when all you have at home is fish and tomatoes... personally, I think this dish is just so-so but it hits the spot on a cold day :)

Ingredients:
2 tomatos
2 fish (chopped) [preferably a white fish]
Tamarind (me)
Nuoc mam
Sugar
Chicken granules (bot nem ga)

1. In a medium pot, boil some water.
2. Half and slice two tomatoes.

This is the sliced tomatoes next to some me (tamarind). Mommy likes to add tamarind because it makes it extra flavorful. 

3. Add tamarind and tomatoes to the water. You don't have to wait for the water to boil while doing this.


This is what it should look like :) 
YUM I love tomato in my soup... it makes the soup broth so tasty, sweet, and it's healthy!

4. When the water is boiling, add 3 PS nuoc mam, 1/4 PS bot nem ga (chicken broth), 1/2 - 3/4 PS sugar.
5. Add the fish and simmer on low heat. Stir occasionally.

Watch the cooking time... you don't want to eat overcooked fish. If it's overcooked, it'll be tough and tasteless. 
6. When the soup boils, it's done!
7. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.




This soup is quick and easy - it only takes around 20 minutes to make! The fish cooks pretty quickly so it's good if you're super hungry and just can't wait to eat... ENJOY!

***** I sometimes add dill for some EXTRA flavor :)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corn Potage Soup (a la Curry House!)

-
My boo LOVES corn potage soup at Curry House so I decided to try my hand at it. Very minimal amount of ingredients and very quick to make! Made the mistake of buying frozen sweet white corn and it came out a little too sweet. Next time will try just regular corn. And also set some corn aside (before you puree it) to give it a little more texture. My imitation of Curry House's Corn Potage Soup Ingredients: - 2 tbs unsalted butter - 1/2 medium onion, diced - 2 tbs flour - 2 cups frozen or fresh corn - 1.5 cup chicken stock - 1.5 cup milk - salt and pepper to taste - green onion for garnish 1. Heat butter over medium heat. 2. When butter has melted, add diced onion. Cook until unions are translucent and then turn heat to low. 3. Add flour and stir to mix - will look a like paste 4. Slowly add chicken stock and stir while adding to prevent lumps 5. After all the stock as been added, turn heat to medium high and bring to boil 6. Once broth is boiling, add corn and
Read more

How to parboil bones for a clean broth

-
This technique is a solid foundation for getting a clean, soup broth for any pork or beef bone-based broth. 1. In a large bowl, add raw bones and fill with cold water. Add salt and vinegar to clean and lightly scrub. 2. Rinse 1 additional time with cold water. 3. In a large stock pot, boil water. Add bones to the broth. Boil for about 2-3 minuets to remove the impurities. 4. Dump the bones and water into a clean sink and rinse the bones with cold water to remove any residue. Best to also lightly rub off the residue with your hands. 
Read more

Gia Dau Hoa Lan Xao Toi (Tossed Asian Snow Pea Shoots)

-
Image
I've been making an effort to blog more recipes... hopefully over the next few months, I get all the recipes I want from my mom. I haven't had much practice in making these dishes on my own though because I don't like to eat my own cooking (weird, I know). My next step is perfecting these dishes... hopefully I can make my boyfriend or dad eat whatever the heck it is I make. Anyway, this dish is present at many Chinese restaurants. It's super easy and quick to make... seriously, this is done in 10 minutes! The only thing is - I don't think I translated the name into English correctly... will update when I find out what the English name is! Ingredients: 1 large bag of snow pea shoots (the market I went to didn't have snow pea shoots so I bought pea sprouts instead... tasted exactly the same! I think they are the same...) Bot nem ga (chicken broth) 9 cloves of garlic Fish Sauce (optional) Oyster Sauce 1. In a large skillet, heat cooking oil on low/mediu
Read more