Hot and sour fish soup with tender, delicious fish combined with rich broth will surely be a favorite dish for your whole family. Let’s get cooking and make these 2 delicious soups right away!
1. Hot and sour fish soup with snakehead fish
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Preparation time
35 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for hot and sour fish soup with snakehead fish Serves 3 people
Snakehead fish 400 gr Sour bamboo shoots 100 gr Tomatoes 150 gr Cilantro 10 gr (Vietnamese coriander) Chili 1 piece Garlic 3 cloves Fried onion 10 gr Green onion 3 stalks (chopped) Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Seasoning a little (Salt/MSG/seasoning powder)
Tools needed
How to choose good snakehead fish
- For fresh fish, choose those that are still lively and move actively. The fins and tail should be intact, the fish skin should have a natural silver color and not have spots or sores.
- For pre-prepared fish, choose pieces with light pink meat; the color of the meat should not be too dark. Fresh fish meat should have good elasticity and especially should not leak fluid or have an unpleasant odor.
How to make Sour Bamboo Shoot Soup with Catfish
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Prepare the catfish
After buying the catfish, put it in a basin and wash it with rice wine or vinegar mixed with a little salt, wear nylon gloves and gently massage the body of the fish to remove the slime and reduce the fishy smell.
Then rinse it with clean water, cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, and place it in a basket to drain.
How to prepare catfish to reduce slime and fishy smell:
- Put the fish in a basket, add a little salt, drizzle vinegar or lemon juice on top, and mix well.
- Then, use warm water to rinse the entire fish, letting it sit for a few minutes. Note not to use hot water as it will cause the skin to peel off. The fish slime will coagulate, and you just need to rinse it clean with water.
- If you want to enhance the fishy smell removal, you can use rinsed rice water to wash it once before rinsing it again with clean water and cooking.
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Marinate the fish
Marinate the catfish with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and chopped green onions for 15 – 20 minutes to let the fish absorb the seasoning.
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Trim the tough parts of the coriander, wash it clean, then cut it into sections, and cut the tomatoes into wedges.
For the sour bamboo shoots, rinse them with water. Boil a pot of water and then add the bamboo shoots, cooking for about 10 – 15 minutes on low heat. After boiling, remove the bamboo shoots, rinse them with water, and let them drain.
Next, use a knife to slice the bamboo into thin, long strips that are easy to eat. If you are using sour bamboo shoots that are already soaked with garlic and chili, you can skip the bamboo preparation step.
Note: Boiling the sour bamboo shoots whole before cooking will help clean them and remove any toxins present in the bamboo.
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Cook the soup
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, wait for the pot to heat up, then add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
Continue adding the bamboo shoots and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add 1 liter of water and bring to a boil.
When the water boils, add the tomatoes, then add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, adjust to suit your family’s taste, then add the catfish, lower the heat, and cook for another 10 minutes until the fish is cooked, then turn off the heat.
Tip:
Using boiling water to cook the soup will help save your cooking time.
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Final product
Sour bamboo shoot soup with catfish is an extremely unique and attractive dish. The catfish is soft and retains its natural sweetness, while the tomatoes have a beautiful red color and a characteristic mild sour taste. Adding a few slices of chili, fried onions (if desired), and cilantro on top makes the dish not only delicious but also visually appealing.
2. Sour bamboo shoot soup with red tilapia
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Sour Bamboo Shoot Soup with Red Tilapia Serves 3 people
Red tilapia 500 gr Sour bamboo shoots 300 gr Tomatoes 100 gr Banana flower 50 gr Vietnamese coriander 10 gr Horn chili 1 piece Bird’s eye chili 1 piece Green onions 3 pieces Red onions 3 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Saté chili 10 gr Ginger 1 piece (minced) Vinegar 50 ml Sour soup seasoning powder 30 gr (1 packet) Seasoning a little (Salt/sugar) Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
Utensils Needed
How to Choose Good Red Tilapia
- Shape: Choose fish that are bright pink, diamond-shaped, with scales firmly attached to the skin. Do not choose fish that are pale, uneven in length, or have peeling scales.
- Gills: Choose fish with dark pink gills, with fine and uniform color. Fish that are not fresh or have been soaked in chemicals will have dark red gills that may turn brown or black.
- Eyes: Choose fish with clear, transparent eyes, where the pupil is easily visible. Do not choose fish with cloudy or dull eyes.
- Touch: Gently press on the fish’s belly; if it is fresh, it will have elasticity, and the flesh will feel firm, with no sliminess on the skin. Fish that is spoiled will feel soft and mushy, and pressing it will leave an indentation without elasticity.
Note: Sour soup seasoning packets can be purchased at grocery stores, supermarkets, or at the TasteVN chain stores nationwide.
How to prepare Sour Bamboo Shoot Soup with Red Tilapia
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Prepare the red tilapia
Clean the gills, gut, and scale the red tilapia. To eliminate the fishy smell, use a little water, add some sliced ginger and vinegar to wash the fish.
To make the fish taste better when cooking sour soup, it is necessary to remove all the blood clots from the belly and gills, then cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
How to clean fish effectively without the fishy smell
- Using salt water or rice washing water: Rub the fish with salt, soak the fish in diluted salt water or rice washing water for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water to eliminate the fishy smell and slime.
- Using lemon and vinegar: You can also soak the fish in diluted lemon juice or vinegar for 10 minutes and rinse again with clean water.
- Using white alcohol: Use diluted white alcohol to marinate the fish for 2 minutes, then wipe dry to remove the fishy smell.
- Using spices: You can also utilize some spices like ginger, chili, celery, and onion, or rub the fish with rice paddy herb to effectively eliminate the fishy smell.
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Marinate the fish
Chop 3 shallots, 3 green onions, and 1 bunch of bird’s eye chili.
Marinate the red tilapia with 1 teaspoon of salt, chopped shallots, chopped green onions, and chopped bird’s eye chili. Be sure to evenly spread the spices all over the fish and inside the belly cavity to allow the fish to absorb the flavors, marinate the fish for 15 minutes.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the sour bamboo shoots briefly with water. Then squeeze the bamboo shoots to drain so that they remain crispy when cooked.
Cut the tomatoes into wedges, soak the sliced banana flower in diluted saltwater, and rinse with clean water when preparing. Chop the cilantro, slice the chili peppers. Mince the garlic.
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Sauté sour bamboo shoots
Place a pot on the stove over medium heat, wait for the pot to heat up, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
Then add the sour bamboo shoots and stir-fry briefly, seasoning with 2 teaspoons of sugar for balance and 10g of chili paste for a beautiful color, stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
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Cooking soup
Add 700ml of water to the pot with bamboo shoots. Cook the sour bamboo soup until the water boils, then add the marinated fish and tomatoes, cooking for an additional 5 minutes, seasoning with 1 packet of sour soup seasoning.
When the fish is cooked, add banana flower, cilantro, and sliced chili to the pot to make the soup more visually appealing and appetizing. Stir gently for another 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Thus, a steaming hot, delicious sour bamboo soup with red tilapia is ready.
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Final product
Sour bamboo soup with red tilapia is a wonderful dish for your family meal. This sour bamboo soup is loved by both adults and children due to the mild sour taste of bamboo combined with the sweet flesh of the fish, making the dish even more appealing. Let’s enjoy it.
How to choose delicious sour bamboo shoots
- You should choose sour bamboo shoots that have a characteristic fragrant smell, no surface scum, and bright colors.
- You should not choose sour bamboo shoots that have a foul smell, an unusual color on the outer layer such as too white or brownish-yellow, and a surface that has spots or is crushed.
Note: You can buy pre-soaked sour bamboo shoots or buy fresh bamboo shoots to soak at home.
See more: How to make sour bamboo shoots just right, without scum.
How to choose delicious tomatoes
- Freshly ripened tomatoes usually have taut skin and a red color, feel heavy, and have a light fragrant smell.
- Choose tomatoes if the stem is still fresh and green, and when you gently pull the stem, it remains firmly attached to the fruit; if the fruit is ripe, then it is a tree-ripened fruit.
See more:
With the information above, TasteVN hopes you have learned more about 2 ways to cook sour fish soup that are delicious and appealing! Wishing your fish dish menu becomes more and more attractive!
*Refer to images and recipes from YouTube channels TasteShare and Cooky TV.
