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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
25 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Sweet and sour fish soup is a soup dish that many families love during the hot summer days due to its light sourness and refreshing taste, which enhances appetite. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN to showcase an attractive pot of sweet and sour fish soup to treat your family right away!
Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Fish Soup For 3 people
Fish 2 pieces Sour bamboo shoots 50 gr Tomatoes 2 fruits Pineapple 1/4 fruit Vietnamese coriander 50 gr (water spinach) Bean sprouts 30 gr Chili 1 fruit Shallots 2 bulbs Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Common spices A little (Salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh mackerel
- To buy fresh mackerel, you should select fish that are about 12 – 25cm in size, have clear eyes, can still see the pupils, gills that are bright red, and when you touch the flesh, it feels firm.
- Fresh mackerel has a bright yellow color, darker on the back, and a belly that is a lighter silver-white with dark yellow spots. When you touch it, you will feel the elasticity, it doesn’t leave a dent, and the dorsal fins are intact.
- You should buy from reputable places with clear origins to ensure safety.
- Avoid choosing fish with cloudy eyes, dark red gills, and soft flesh as these fish are spoiled.
How to choose delicious sour bamboo shoots
- Delicious sour bamboo shoots have a light yellow color and a pleasant light sour smell, with clear soaking water that does not have bubbles.
- You should choose bamboo shoots that have just been soaked, are not too soft, and not too dark in color.
- Avoid buying if the sour bamboo shoots smell too strong, the soaking water has turned yellow or even has mold, as this indicates they have been soaked for too long.
- To ensure safety, you can soak sour bamboo shoots at home using the method shared by TasteVN.
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Choose ripe tomatoes with bright red outer skin, even color, plump, without scratches or bruises.
- Fresh, tree-ripened tomatoes will have a mild fragrance that is easy to detect. The stems of the tomatoes are still green and firmly attached to the fruit.
- Avoid selecting tomatoes that have fallen off the stem or have yellowed stems, and unevenly colored fruits. This indicates that the tomatoes were harvested a long time ago or picked before they were ripe.
How to choose fresh, delicious pineapple
- To buy a fresh and delicious pineapple, you need to choose one that is ripe with a yellow skin or slightly mixed with green.
- A good pineapple will have a rounded, short shape, large eyes, and a sweet, fragrant smell that is not too strong. Holding the pineapple in your hand will allow you to feel a moderate softness, firm to the touch.
- You should not choose pineapples that have a very strong smell or a dark brown color, as these are overripe and about to spoil.
How to make Sour Fish Soup
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Prepare the ingredients
After purchasing the fish, remove the internal organs, gills, and fins. To eliminate the fishy smell, wash the fish with saltwater, then rinse thoroughly with several changes of water, and let it drain.
Remove the stem from the tomatoes, wash them clean, and cut them into wedges. Next, peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, wash it thoroughly, and cut it into wedges.
Wash the sour bamboo shoots to reduce the sourness. Rinse the bean sprouts clean.
Peel the shallots and slice them along with the chili.
For the cilantro, remove the inedible parts, wash it clean, and chop it finely.
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Marinate the fish
You marinate the fish with 1 spoon of fish sauce, sliced shallots, a little ground pepper, 1 sliced chili, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate. Marinate for about 10 minutes for the fish to absorb the seasoning.
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Cook the sour snakehead fish soup
You place a pot on the stove, then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it. Next, you add pineapple and tomatoes and stir-fry over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
After that, you pour 1 liter of boiling water into the pot and add the sour bamboo shoots, cooking for another 2 minutes.
Wait for the water to boil, then add the marinated fish and cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, a little pepper, and then add bean sprouts and cilantro.
Finally, you can adjust the seasoning to taste and turn off the stove.
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Final product
The sour snakehead fish soup is delicious and attractive, with harmonious colors, and does not have a fishy smell. The fish meat is soft and sweet, blended with the sourness from the bamboo shoots and the sweetness from the pineapple, ensuring that your family will be enamored during the summer days.
It’s really simple to make a refreshing sour soup with giant snakehead fish for a summer day, isn’t it? With just familiar ingredients and a few simple steps, let’s show off your skills in making this delicious dish for the family to enjoy!
