Grouper, when combined with sour soup, creates a flavorful and attractive dish that enhances family meals. Today, TasteVN will share with you 3 delicious sour soup recipes with grouper. Let’s get cooking to make this soup!
1. Grouper cooked with sour soup and flower of the bamboo
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grouper cooked with sour soup and flower of the bamboo For 4 people
Grouper 500 gr (fish head) Tamarind juice 4 tablespoons Tomato 2 fruits Flower of the bamboo 200 gr Dill 3 sprigs Sugar 4 tablespoons Salt a little
How to choose fresh and delicious flower of the bamboo
- You should choose firm, fresh flowers of the bamboo that are bright white, not wilted or bruised.
- The flowers of the bamboo should still be in bud, not fully bloomed, with dark green stems, and intact petals without falling or dropping are the best quality flowers.
How to prepare Sour Soup with Grouper and Vegetable Flowers
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Prepare the grouper
To make the grouper clean and reduce the fishy smell, if you buy the whole fish, place it in a basin and wash it with rice wine or vinegar mixed with a little salt, then gently massage the body of the fish.
Rinse again with clean water and then cut off the fish’s head for processing.
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Prepare the other ingredients
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Chop the herbs.
After buying the vegetable flowers, remove the inner pistil. Soak them in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
Tip
- You should remove the pistil of the flowers because this part will make the dish bitter and astringent.
- When preparing the vegetable flowers, do it gently to avoid bruising the flowers.
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Cooking soup
Place a pot of water on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of salt, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of tamarind juice, and stir well.
When the water boils, add the fish head and cook until the fish head is done, then add tomatoes, bamboo flowers, and shredded herbs. Wait for the water to boil again, adjust the seasoning to your taste, and then turn off the heat.
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Final product
Grouper fish soup with bamboo flowers is not difficult to make, but it brings a distinctive sour and sweet flavor of the sour soup, along with the delicious and attractive grouper meat.
2. Grouper fish sour soup with shredded bamboo
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Preparation
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour Soup with Grouper and Dọc Mùng Serves 3
Grouper 800 gr Tomato 200 gr Dọc mùng 200 gr (Vietnamese mint) Okra 200 gr Pineapple 200 gr (sweet) Bean sprouts 100 gr Vietnamese coriander 2 sprigs Chopped shallots 1 teaspoon Chopped garlic 1 teaspoon Chopped chili 1 teaspoon Tamarind paste 4 tablespoons Rock sugar 1/2 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon White wine a little Common spices a little (salt/seasoning granules/msg)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good young okra
- Choose fresh, young okra pods that are small in size, have a beautiful shiny green color, and a thin layer of fuzz on the outer skin.
- Avoid buying pods that are soft or have bruises on the outside, as well as those that are too large, as they will be overripe and not tasty.
- Gently press the skin with your fingers; if it feels crisp and firm without being soft or dented, it is fresh, young okra.
How to choose good pineapples
- Pineapples should have an even yellow color; the darker the yellow, the sweeter the pineapple. Depending on your preference, you can choose the desired level of sweetness.
- Choose pineapples with large eyes and a round shape, as they usually contain more flesh and juice than long-shaped ones. Those with large eyes are also easier to clean and save time.
- You can choose a good pineapple by smelling the bottom of the fruit; if it is ripe, it will have a fragrant smell. The less aroma or no smell indicates it is not ripe. Overripe pineapples may have a scent similar to vinegar or fermentation.
- Choose intact pineapples that are not bruised or darkened, and avoid those that are too soft.
How to make Sour Grouper Soup with Dọc Mùng
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Prepare the grouper
To clean the grouper of slime and reduce the fishy smell, when you buy it, place the fish in a basin and wash it with rice wine or vinegar mixed with a little salt, then gently massage the body of the fish.
Rinse it with clean water, then cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and place it in a colander to drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
Tomatoes cut into wedges. Bean sprouts washed with water. Pineapple washed clean and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Coriander is chopped finely. Okra is washed clean and then cut diagonally.
Mint is cut diagonally (sharpened) and then briefly soaked in water with a little salt.
Method to prepare water morning glory (mint) without causing itchiness
- First, wash the water morning glory thoroughly to remove dirt, then peel off the outer fibrous part. After that, use a knife to cut away the belly part of the water morning glory.
- You should cut the water morning glory into bite-sized pieces in a sharpened style. Next, mix 1 tablespoon of salt with the cut pieces of water morning glory and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Add cold water to the bowl of water morning glory that is soaking in salt, wash it clean again, wear gloves, and use your hands to gently squeeze to remove excess water. Finally, blanch briefly in boiling water before proceeding with cooking.
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Fry the grouper briefly
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pot, when the oil is hot, add minced garlic, chili, and shallots to sauté until fragrant, then add the grouper to fry briefly until the fish is firm, then remove the fish.
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Stir-fry the ingredients
Continue to add tomatoes and pineapple, stir well and sauté briefly until the tomatoes and pineapple are cooked and colored.
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Cook the soup
Add about 1 liter of water to the pot with sautéed tomatoes and pineapple, when the water boils, add the grouper, season with 4 tablespoons of tamarind juice, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and about 1/2 tablespoon of rock sugar.
Cook until the water boils again, then add okra, peppermint, and bean sprouts, adjust the seasoning to taste, then sprinkle coriander on top and turn off the heat.
Final Product
Sour grouper soup with firm, delicious fish combined with sour and sweet broth, this soup when served with hot rice promises to be very appetizing!
3. Sour grouper soup
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
35 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour grouper soup Serves 4
Grouper 1 kg ( 1 fish) Tofu 200 gr (1 piece) Tomato 1 piece Chili powder 1/2 tablespoon Shallots 3 bulbs Green onions 1 stalk Herbs a little (coriander/ basil) Fried garlic oil 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Seasoning powder 2 teaspoons Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose good tofu
- Good tofu usually has a creamy white color and is very soft. Tofu with gypsum usually has a yellower color; the yellower it is, the more gypsum it contains and the tougher it is compared to regular tofu.
- Choose to buy tofu from reputable stores with guaranteed quality and clear origin.
- Additionally, to ensure safety and convenience, you can make tofu at home using the simple recipe below.
How to prepare sour grouper soup
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Prepare and marinate grouper
After buying the fish, use a knife to remove the gills and scrape off the scales. Rinse the fish with warm water mixed with a little salt, then cut it into 3 pieces.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Cut the tofu into squares about the thickness of a finger, then heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and fry until golden on all sides.
Rinse the green onions, cilantro, and basil leaves, then cut them into pieces about the length of a finger. Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Slice the shallots thinly.
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Pan-fry the fish
You put the grouper into a bowl, then add 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, mix well and marinate for about 5 minutes.
You heat the pan and add 2 teaspoons of cooking oil, then add all the sliced shallots, continue to add the marinated grouper to pan-fry, cook the fish until golden on both sides for about 4 – 5 minutes.
Tip: Pan-frying the fish will help the fish meat become firmer, more fragrant, and not fishy.
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Cook the soup
You boil about 2 liters of water in a pot, then add the pan-fried grouper (remember to add all the shallots from the fish pan!), continue to cook for about 5 – 7 minutes until the water boils again.
Next, you add the diced tomatoes and the fried tofu. Continue to add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and all the chopped green onions and herbs (cilantro, basil) into the pot and turn off the heat.
Finally, you add 2 tablespoons of fermented rice vinegar to the soup pot, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, and it’s done.
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Final Product
Serve the sour grouper soup in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of fried garlic oil, and enjoy. The fish is tender and sweet, the tofu is chewy, and the soup has a refreshing sour taste from rice vinegar. The dish will taste better if you eat it with rice or noodles!
How to choose fresh and delicious grouper
There are many types of grouper on the market such as: pearl grouper, turmeric grouper, tiger grouper, spotted grouper,… Each type has different weights and shapes, but basically, fresh and delicious fish have the following characteristics.
- Fresh sea grouper feels firm when held, has solid flesh, is not bent, has elasticity, and when you press down on the dent, it will spring back immediately.
- Fresh grouper flesh has a greenish hue, is elastic, the flesh clings to the bones, and the bones are solid.
- The fish has dark red gills, is not slimy, has no foul smell, the gill cover is close to the gills, and the mouth is tightly closed. The belly does not bulge, and has a white or light pink color is a sign of good grouper.
How to clean grouper to be fresh and not fishy
- Before scaling the fish, soak it for 1 hour in 1 liter of cold water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar, this way the scales will easily fall off.
- When removing the fish’s intestines, to avoid the fishy smell of blood, you should remove all the blood vessels inside the intestines, especially near the bones.
- Use warm water to rinse the entire fish, and let it sit for a few minutes. Note not to use hot water, as it will cause the fish skin to peel off. The fish slime will congeal, and you just need to rinse it with water.
- After cleaning the grouper, since it is a sea fish, washing it with salt water will make the meat tastier than washing with plain water.
- If you want to enhance the ability to eliminate the fishy smell, you can use rice washing water to rinse once before rinsing with clean water and cooking.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes with a smooth outer skin, plump and juicy with bright red color, and the stem is still green.
- Avoid choosing those that are bruised or have small black spots, or have uneven colors of both green and red.
- If you touch and find them too soft or too hard, or if liquid comes out, you should not buy them, as they may be spoiled.
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Share 3 ways to make grouper cooked in sour soup simply, deliciously, and refreshing to treat your family! Wish you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channels: Seafood Daily, GOLDEN FLAG CHANNEL and DELICIOUS DISHES EVERYDAY
