Sweet and sour soup is one of the simple, familiar dishes of the Vietnamese people. Sweet and sour soup carries the essence of home flavors that make those who leave remember and those who return love. Today, TasteVN will introduce you to the sweet and sour stingray soup with 4 simple variations to enrich your menu. Let’s get cooking!
1. Sweet and sour stingray soup with banana blossom
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Preparation
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sweet and sour stingray soup with banana blossom Serves 4
Stingray 300 gr Banana blossom 500 gr Lime 2 fruits Tamarind paste 80 gr Aromatic herbs 3 sprigs Minced garlic 1 tablespoon Sawtooth coriander 3 sprigs Chili 1 fruit Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Vinegar a little Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (salt/sugar/MSG/seasoning powder)
How to choose good banana blossoms
- Choose long, fresh banana blossoms that feel firm when gently squeezed, not soft or mushy.
- Good banana blossoms have a deep red color, fresh skin, a white powdery layer outside, and feel solid and heavy in hand.
How to Prepare Sour Stingray Soup with Banana Blossom
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Prepare the Stingray
First, wash the stingray thoroughly with diluted salt water along with a bit of vinegar. Use your hands to rub and scrub the flesh of the stingray vigorously to eliminate the fishy smell.
Rinse again with clean water and then rub salt on the flesh of the stingray once more to remove the slime, continue rinsing with clean water and place it in a colander to drain.
Cut the stingray into quarters or pieces that are easy to eat, remember to keep the stingray’s liver to make the dish richer.
Note: If the stingray meat you buy has skin, use a knife to scrape the skin clean, doing so will help remove all the slime from the fish so that it won’t be fishy.
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Prepare other ingredients
Prepare a bowl of water, then squeeze about 1 lemon into the bowl and add the lemon peel to the bowl, stir well to dissolve.
First, with the banana flower, use your hands to strip off the outer old layers, pulling apart each layer until you reach the tender part that is difficult to peel, then stop. After that, slice thinly or shred horizontally and soak the sliced banana flower in the bowl of diluted lemon water, then remove and rinse with water, let it drain.
Wash the herbs and coriander thoroughly, and chop them finely.
How to prepare banana flower without browning
- As you cut the banana flower, soak it in the lemon water with salt immediately, leaving it out for too long will cause the banana flower to brown and become unappealing.
- Soak the banana flower in the lemon salt water for at least 30 minutes. After that, remove and rinse several times with water until clean, then let it drain.
- You can use vinegar, alum, or fermented rice mixed into the water instead of lemon for soaking the banana flower. Do not add too much salt when preparing the soaking water, as it will make the banana flower salty and unappetizing.
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Cooking the soup
Place a pot on the stove, add 1 spoon of cooking oil, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic into the pot, sauté the garlic until golden and fragrant over medium heat. Then add about 1 – 1.5 liters of water and squeezed tamarind into the pot, bring to a boil.
When the water starts to boil, skim off the white foam, then add all the stingray into the pot. Remove the cooked tamarind to a small bowl, use a spoon to mash it to extract the juice and then return it to the soup pot.
Reduce the heat, season the soup with 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and stir well.
Finally, add the banana flower to the pot, increase the heat. Cook until the water in the pot is boiling, then add herbs and cilantro to the pot, mix well, and turn off the heat.
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Final product
The sour soup is fragrant, with a sweet and sour broth, the banana flower still retains its crunchiness and sweetness along with the soft, rich stingray meat.
To make the dish more appealing, you can prepare a bowl of chili fish sauce to dip the stingray meat and enjoy it with hot rice!
2. Sour stingray soup cooked with fermented rice
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Preparation time
45 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for sour stingray soup cooked with fermented rice For 4 people
Stingray 1 kg Fermented rice 50 gr Shredded water spinach 100 gr Shredded banana flower 100 gr Aromatic herbs 50 gr (basil/cilantro) Water lily 1 bunch Sugar 1 tablespoon Salt 1 tablespoon MSG 1/2 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon
Image of ingredients
How to make sour stingray soup cooked with fermented rice
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Prepare the stingray
To clean the stingray from slime and remove the fishy smell, you wash the stingray with hot water and use a knife to scrape the top layer of the stingray’s skin. Then rinse the stingray under running water, repeat the preparation step with hot and cold water about 2 – 3 times and let it drain.
After cleaning, cut the stingray into pieces about 3 – 4cm for easy eating, and place the cut pieces into a basket.
Tip: Remember to keep the stingray’s liver to mix later with the dipping fish sauce for serving.
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Prepare other ingredients
Basil leaves and cilantro should be trimmed of old and worm-eaten leaves, keeping only fresh leaves, and washed clean.
Water spinach should have the roots and white parts removed, cut into pieces about 2 – 3cm long, then wash in a basin about 2 – 3 times, drain in a colander.
Shredded water spinach and shredded banana flower should be washed clean and drained.
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Strain the mixture
Put a pot on the stove, add about 3 liters of water to the pot, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 spoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and stir well to mix the seasonings.
Place the fermented rice in a strainer and directly into the pot. Use the boiling water in the pot to stir the fermented rice, then strain the liquid. Taste to see if the sourness is to your family’s liking, then stop and discard the leftover fermented rice.
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Cook the soup
Increase the heat to medium, wait until the water in the pot boils again, then add the fish meat and stingray liver into the pot, cook until done, and skim off the white foam. You can also adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Finally, add the water spinach and sliced banana flower first, wait for the vegetables to cook, then add the water lily and herbs into the pot, stir well. Cook the soup for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
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Finished product
The sour soup with stingray cooked with fermented rice is incredibly appealing, the broth is sour, the stingray meat is soft and fatty, served with various crunchy vegetables just cooked to the right point.
You can mash the stingray liver with a bowl of fish sauce and chili to dip with the stingray meat, making the dish richer and more delicious.
3. Sour soup with young tamarind leaves and stingray
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Preparation
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour soup with young tamarind leaves and stingray For 4 people
Stingray 500 gr Young tamarind leaves 200 gr Water dropwort 100 gr (mint) Chives 2 stalks Rice paddy herb A little Minced garlic 3 tablespoons Minced chili 1/2 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Salt A little
Ingredient image
How to prepare Sour Stingray Soup with Young Tamarind Leaves
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Prepare the stingray
Wash the stingray with diluted salt water and rub a little salt on the flesh to remove the smell, then rinse about 2 – 3 times with water. After that, cut the stingray into bite-sized pieces.
Marinate the stingray with 2 spoons of minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of minced chili, 1 teaspoon of salt, mix well and marinate for 5 – 10 minutes.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the bamboo shoot (dọc mùng) clean and cut it diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Chop the green onions into 2 – 3 cm pieces.
Wash the herbs and coriander, drain, and cut into pieces. Wash the young tamarind leaves clean and chop them finely.
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Lightly fry the stingray
Put a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to the pan. Stir well and sauté the garlic until golden and fragrant over medium heat.
Next, add the stingray to the pan, stir gently to avoid breaking the fish. Stir-fry until the stingray meat is slightly firm, then turn off the heat.
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Cooking the soup
Put about 1 – 1.5 liters of water into a pot, then place the pot on the stove. Heat over medium flame.
When the water starts to boil, add the lightly fried stingray into the pot. Boil until the stingray is fully cooked, skimming off the white foam to make the soup clearer. Next, add the young tamarind leaves to the pot first to release their sourness, and season to taste.
Finally, add the mint, mix well and cook for about 7 – 10 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning before turning off the heat. Add the green onions, rice paddy herb, and cilantro to the pot, stir well, and you can serve the soup in bowls to enjoy.
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Final product
You serve the soup and enjoy it with hot rice! The sour soup has a sweet and light sour broth from the tamarind leaves, paired with crunchy mint. The fresh, tender stingray meat is cooked just right, making it delicious and tempting, isn’t it?
4. How to cook sour stingray soup
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Processing
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for How to cook sour stingray soup For 4 people
Fresh stingray 400 gr Sour bamboo shoots 200 gr Tomatoes 2 fruits Pineapple 1/4 fruit Sour pickled mustard greens 200 gr Green onions 5 gr Vietnamese coriander 5 gr (Ngo Om) Fresh chili 2 fruits Red onion 2 bulbs Garlic 4 cloves Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Chili sauce 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Boiling water 500 ml Common spices A little (sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ salt)
How to choose fresh, delicious ingredients
How to choose good tomatoes that are not bruised
- To buy good tomatoes, choose ones with smooth, shiny skin, bright red, and uniform color. The outer skin should be intact, shiny, and without scratches.
- Hold the tomato and feel it firm and juicy. Bringing it to your nose, you will sense its characteristic aroma.
- Do not choose tomatoes that feel too soft, have tiny black spots on the skin, or show signs of bruising, as these are tomatoes that have been stored for too long or are about to spoil.
How to choose sweet, delicious pineapple
- To choose fresh, delicious pineapple, select the pineapple with a bright yellow skin from the stem to the end of the fruit, or with a few spots still slightly green.
- Choose round, plump fruits as they will have more flesh. The eyes of the pineapple should be large and spaced out so that when peeling, the flesh is not lost too much.
- Hold the pineapple and smell the stem; ripe pineapples will have a characteristic sweet aroma.
- You should not buy pineapples with many black spots on the skin as this indicates that the pineapple has been stored too long, and the taste will no longer be sweet and delicious.
Tools needed:
Pot, ladle, soup spoon, pan, bowl,…
How to make sour stingray soup
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Prepare ingredients
400g of stingray, rub salt all over the fish to remove the fishy smell, clean off the slime, rinse thoroughly with water, and let it drain. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, about 4 – 5cm.
2 red onions and 4 cloves of garlic, peel, wash, and chop finely.
200g of sour pickles, rinse with water to reduce sourness, and squeeze dry.
2 tomatoes, wash and cut into wedges.
1/4 pineapple, remove the eyes, wash, and cut into small slices.
5g green onions, 5g rice paddy herb, remove roots, clean thoroughly, wash, and chop finely.
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Marinate the stingray
Put 400g of stingray into a bowl, marinate with 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon of broth powder, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 tablespoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, mix well and marinate for about 15 minutes for the fish to absorb the spices.
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Fry the stingray
You heat a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and a little minced garlic and onion, sauté until fragrant. Wait until the garlic turns golden brown, then add the fish, keep the heat high and stir evenly until the fish meat firms up, then turn off the heat.
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Cooking soup
You place a pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and a little minced onion and garlic, sautéing until fragrant.
Next, you adjust the heat to medium, add 2 tomatoes and 1/4 of a prepared pineapple, stirring well. Then add 200g of sour pickled vegetables, 200g of sour bamboo shoots, and 2 chili peppers, stir-frying continuously until the tomatoes, pineapple, pickled vegetables, and bamboo shoots are slightly cooked.
Continue by adding the fried stingray, stir well for about 3 minutes, then add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 200ml of filtered water, and stir-fry like this for 10 minutes to let the fish absorb the seasoning and then add 500ml of boiling water to the pot.
After the water in the pot has boiled for another 5 minutes, you should taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, then add 5g of chopped green onions and 5g of chopped Vietnamese coriander and turn off the heat.
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Final product
So we have completed the sour pickled stingray soup. Serve the soup in a bowl and enjoy.
The freshly cooked soup is steaming, releasing a delicious aroma, with a harmonious sour and spicy flavor, and the seasoning is just right. The fresh stingray meat is tender and sweet, served with white rice, it’s simply perfect!
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How to choose fresh and delicious stingray
- To buy good stingray, you should choose stingrays with taut, smooth, shiny skin, and the flesh inside should be white.
- Fresh stingray meat should be firm and have good elasticity. You should not buy stingray with slightly soft or mushy flesh.
- When smelling, fresh stingray has the characteristic scent of seafood. You should not choose stingray with a strong odor as it may be fish that has died and is not of good quality.
How to process stingray without a fishy smell
- First, you need to hook and remove the entrails, gills, and blood bag inside the fish. Use a knife to cut off the fins, discard the entrails, then rub salt on the fish for the first time and rinse it to reduce the sliminess.
- Next, you use a knife to make a vertical cut along the spine of the fish, then hook and remove all the clotted blood along with the black membrane. After that, rub salt on the entire body of the fish for the second time and rinse again with water.
- Next, you scrape off the slimy layer on the skin of the fish. Use salt to rub on the skin for a few minutes, then rinse the fish thoroughly with diluted saltwater mixed with ginger, white wine, or vinegar to completely eliminate the fishy and slimy smell.
- Finally, rinse thoroughly with clean water and let it drain.
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So TasteVN has introduced you to 4 dishes of sour stingray soup along with very detailed instructions. Quickly go to the kitchen to show off your skills for the whole family to enjoy! Wishing you success!
