Canh Chua – Sour Shrimp Soup

Canh Chua is a Vietnamese Sour Shrimp Soup that is also sweet and spicy, although the spice is optional! It is typically made with catfish, but this recipe is made with shrimp. We like to serve it with com (Jasmine rice). It’s also often accompanied by ca kho (braised catfish). I recently made a big pot and ate it every day for 4 days straight.

The finishing touch for this soup is a scoop of crispy and fragrant Jus’ Garlic. If you mention me, you’ll get 10% off your entire order! Of course, you can always make your own if you really want to. I just don’t recommend skipping it because it completely elevates the dish! For this soup, I like to use the spicy garlic one for just a hint of heat. I really hope you give canh chua a try. It’s a beautiful marriage of flavors and textures & a great way to eat your veggies!

More Vietnamese recipes:

Banh Canh – a delicious pork noodle soup with chewy noodles
Bun Thit Nuong – “grilled” lemongrass pork with vermicelli noodles
Cha Gio – crispy pork egg rolls served with nuoc mam

Canh Chua – Sour Shrimp Soup

Author: Phuong Le-Tran Cuisine:Vietnamese Courses:Soups

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 15 minutesServings:10 servings

Description

Canh Chua is a Vietnamese Sour Shrimp Soup that is also sweet and spicy, although the spice is optional! It is typically made with catfish, but this recipe is made with shrimp. We like to serve it with com (Jasmine rice) and ca kho (braised catfish). I recently made a big pot and ate it every day for 4 days straight.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 Thai chili peppers (optional)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Knorr chicken bouillon
• 1.4 oz Knorr tamarind soup mix
• 10 cups of water
• 1/2 pound okra, cut in half diagonally
• 1 pound elephant ears (bac ha), outer layer peeled, sliced (sub with celery)
• 1- 12 oz can of pineapple chunks with 100% juice
• 2-3 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup fish sauce (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)

Toppings

• Spicy crispy garlic with oil (homemade or Jus’ Garlic) – don’t skimp out on this! It really elevates the soup! Mention me for
• rice paddy herb (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute. Add oil, then garlic, and stir for 30 seconds (add Thai peppers here if you want it spicy)
2. Add half of the tomatoes and stir for 2-3 minutes until juices come out.
3. Add water, seasoning packet, chicken bouillon, pineapple juice, sugar, and fish sauce. Turn the temperature to high, bring to a boil, add okra, cook for about 3 minutes. Add elephant ears and pineapple chunks, cook for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Turn the temperature down to medium. Add shrimp, the rest of the tomatoes, and bean sprouts. Give it a mix.
5. To serve, add rice paddy herb, if available, and spicy crispy garlic (Jus Garlic). Try not to skip the Jus’ Garlic because it really takes the soup to a new level!! Scoop some cooked Jasmine rice into a bowl and then pour some soup on top! Enjoy!

Video

Keywords:Canh chua, vietnamese soup, vietnamese sour soup, sour shrimp soup, tamarind soup