Sour soup with linh fish is a dish that embodies the characteristics of the Mekong Delta region. Let’s join cooking with TasteVN to learn 2 ways to make sour soup with linh fish, water lily blossoms, and giant river lily blossoms that are delicious and easy to make!
1. Sour soup with linh fish and water lily blossoms
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour soup with linh fish and water lily blossoms For 4 people
Linh fish 300 gr Water lily 200 gr Giant river lily 200 gr Chili 2 pieces Tamarind 20 gr Herbs a little (cilantro/basil/coriander) Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (sugar/salt/monosodium glutamate)
Tools needed
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh water lily
- You should choose water lilies that have just been picked.
- Choose those with fresh colors, not broken, wilted, or spoiled.
How to choose fresh giant river lily
- You should choose flowers that have just bloomed, fresh and intact, not bruised or eaten by pests.
- Do not choose fully bloomed flowers or still green ones, as they will be less delicious.
How to make Sour Fish Soup with Linh Fish and Water Lily Flowers
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Prepare the linh fish
The linh fish you buy should be cleaned, scaled, and have the fins and tail removed. Use scissors to cut open the belly, then clean out the intestines. After that, rinse the fish thoroughly with water and let it drain.
Be careful when gutting the fish to avoid breaking the bile sac, as a broken bile sac can make the fish taste bitter.
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Prepare the vegetables
The water lily flowers should be peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces, and the water lily stems should have any bad flowers and old stems removed. Rinse all vegetables, soak in diluted salt water for 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let them drain.
Wash the basil, rice paddy herb, and coriander, let them drain, and chop them finely. Slice the chili.
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Make tamarind juice
Put 20g of tamarind into a bowl, then add 50ml of boiling water. Use a spoon to mash the tamarind until it’s broken down, then remove the seeds and pulp, filtering to obtain the sour tamarind juice.
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Boil fish
Add 1.2 liters of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the fish and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Wait for the water to boil again, then lower the heat to prevent the fish from breaking.
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Cook the soup
Cook until you see the fish floating evenly, which indicates it is cooked. At this point, use a ladle to remove the foam to keep the soup clear. Cook for another 4 minutes to ensure the fish is evenly cooked, then add the water lily.
Then, add 50ml of tamarind juice, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of MSG. Wait for the water to boil again, add the water lily, season to taste, and turn off the heat.
Tip
- When cooking the soup, do not stir vigorously as it will cause the fish to break and look unappealing.
- Add the water lily last so that it remains crispy and delicious when eaten.
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Final Product
You scoop the soup into a bowl, add a little bit of herbs and sliced chili on top. The hot and delicious sour fish soup is perfect to enjoy with family on rainy days, creating a warm atmosphere.
When eating, you can dip the fish in chili fish sauce to enhance the flavor!
2. Sour fish soup with water lily
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour fish soup with water lily Serves 4 people
Linh fish 1 kg Water lily 200 gr Water spinach 200 gr Pineapple 1/2 fruit Mint 100 gr (dọc mùng) Okra 100 gr Tamarind 20 gr Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Chili 2 fruits Common spices a little (Sugar/ salt/ monosodium glutamate) Herbs a little (cilantro/water mint)
Implementation tools
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh and delicious water lily flowers
- Choose water lily flowers that are moderately bloomed, white or red, intact, not bruised or infested.
- Do not choose flowers that have fully bloomed or those that are still green, as they will be less tasty.
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapples
- Choose pineapples that have a bright yellow color from the crown to the tail, with a few eyes that are slightly green, as these are ripe fruits that will be sweet and delicious.
- Choose round, short pineapples as they will have more flesh compared to long-shaped ones.
- Choose pineapples with large, sparse eyes, as this indicates that the pineapple is mature and naturally ripe, not chemically treated.
- You can try smelling the end of the fruit; if it has a fragrant smell, then you should buy it. Additionally, avoid choosing fruits that have a slightly sour smell, as this indicates that the pineapple is overripe.
- The greener the pineapple crown, the fresher it is. Overripe pineapples will have dry or brown tips.
- Choose fresh, tasty pineapples that are neither too hard nor too soft; when you press your finger into them, they should not feel indented.
How to choose fresh okra
- Choose fresh, young okra pods that are small in size, have a beautiful glossy green color, and a thin layer of fuzz on the outer skin.
- Do not choose pods that are soft or have bruises on the outside, as well as those that are too large, as they will be old and not tasty.
- Press lightly with your hand; if the skin feels crisp and hard, not soft and indented, then it is fresh, young okra.
How to prepare Sour Soup with Linh Fish and Water Lily
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Prepare the Linh Fish
The Linh fish you bought should be cut open carefully at the belly with scissors and the intestines removed, then wash the fish with clean water.
Be careful when gutting the fish to avoid breaking the bile sac, as a broken bile sac can make the fish taste bitter. If you’re not used to it, you can ask the seller to help gut the fish!
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Prepare other ingredients
Remove the stamen from the cotton flower to reduce bitterness, wash thoroughly, then drain.
For water spinach, remove the outer spongy part, and break the water spinach into bite-sized pieces. Soak the water spinach in rice washing water for about 5 minutes to clean it. Then, rinse with cold water and drain.
For peppermint (dọc mùng), peel off the outer skin and cut diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Then, wash thoroughly and drain.
Wash the okra, drain, then cut diagonally into bite-sized pieces.
Put tamarind in a bowl with 100ml of hot water, then use a spoon to mash the tamarind to extract the sourness and remove the seeds.
Wash the rice paddy herb and cilantro, then drain and chop finely.
Pineapple, peel off the eyes, remove the core, and then chop finely.
Quick and simple way to peel pineapple
- How to peel a pineapple: Cut off both ends of the pineapple, then use a knife to peel from top to bottom or place the fruit on a cutting board and use a knife to cut off the outer layer. You will end up with a cylindrical pineapple.
- How to remove the eyes of the pineapple: Use a knife to make diagonal cuts along the body to remove the eyes. You can also use a specialized tool for removing pineapple eyes.
- Note that you should cut lightly; if you cut too deep, you’ll lose a lot of the flesh, which is very wasteful.
See details: 5 simple ways to peel pineapple
How to prepare dọc mùng (peppermint) without itching:
- After peeling, soak it in saltwater for about 20 – 30 minutes to remove all the sap. Then, take the dọc mùng out into a colander and gently rub with salt, then soak again in clean water for 15 minutes, repeating this process about 2 times before draining.
- Before cooking, blanch the dọc mùng in boiling water; this will eliminate the itchiness.
- When handling dọc mùng, remember to wear gloves to avoid itchy hands.
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Cook the soup
You place the pot on the stove and turn on the heat. Add 2 spoons of cooking oil into the pot, when the oil is hot, add the aromatic ingredients to sauté, when fragrant, you cut in 2 chili peppers and season with 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Then, you add about 1.5 liters of water to the pot and bring it to a boil.
When the water is boiling, add tamarind juice, Vietnamese coriander, and cilantro, and season with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of MSG.
Next, you take the fish in a sieve and dip it into the soup water for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked, then remove the fish to a plate.
After that, add mint, okra, water lily blossoms, and duckweed. Wait for the water to boil again, then turn off the heat.
Tip: If you prefer a sourer soup, you can squeeze in some lime or add more tamarind juice.
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Final Product
You arrange the fish on a plate, sprinkle some rice paddy herbs and cilantro on top, and add finely chopped chili along with a plate of crushed chili salt.
When eating, you add the fish into the soup pot to heat the fish and invite everyone to enjoy.
Hot sour soup with a sweet and sour taste, the fish is fatty and sweet, dipping it in chili salt is very appealing. This soup can be enjoyed with rice or noodles, both are delicious.
How to choose fresh and delicious linh fish
- You should choose fish that are still alive and move actively. Observe the gills; if they are bright red, then the fish is still alive.
- The fish should have shiny scales, be intact, and not have too many scales coming off. The fish should feel firm in hand and not have a foul smell.
How to clean linh fish to be fresh and not fishy
You can clean linh fish using one of the following methods to ensure the fish does not have a fishy smell:
- Method 1: Rub the fish with plenty of salt several times and then rinse with clean water.
- Method 2: Rub the fish with lemon juice or white vinegar and then wash it again with clean water to eliminate the smell.
- Method 3: Soak the fish for about 10 minutes in diluted white alcohol and then rinse with clean water.
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