How to Cook Delicious Sour Tamarind Leaf Soup with Mackerel for an Appealing Family Meal

How to prepare Sour Tamarind Soup with Mackerel

• 1

  Prepare Mackerel

  To save time on preparation, when buying mackerel, ask the seller to clean the fish.

  To eliminate the fishy smell when you bring it home, use a little salt to rub directly inside and outside the fish, then rinse it several times with clean water and let it drain.

  How to prepare mackerel without a fishy smell

  • Method 1: To help reduce the fishy smell, after cleaning, cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and soak them in rice washing water for about 15 – 20 minutes, then rinse again with water.
  • Method 2: When washing the fish, you can mix a few tablespoons of wine or white vinegar into the water, then soak the fish for about 5 minutes and rinse again with water.

  See details: 7 effective ways to remove fishy smell

  

  
• 2

  Prepare other ingredients

  For tamarind leaves, pluck the young leaves, avoiding the older stems as they will not taste good, then rinse briefly with clean water and let it drain.

  Green onions should have the roots and any damaged parts removed, wash with water, and separate the green leaves from the white bulbs.

  For chili peppers, remove the stems, rinse briefly, then pound finely together with the onion bulbs.

  Tip: The spiciness of the chili will help stimulate the taste buds for a better flavor. However, if you cannot handle spicy food, you do not need to pound more chili in, or you can slice the chili and add it after the soup is cooked to reduce the spiciness.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Cooking sour soup with tamarind leaves and mackerel

  Add 1 liter of water into the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils, add the mixture of minced onion and chili and stir gently.

  Next, add the mackerel. Let it boil for another 8 – 10 minutes until the fish is fully cooked. Season the mixture with 2 spoons of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, then stir gently to dissolve the seasonings.

  To extract the sourness from the tamarind leaves, gently crush them and add them to the pot. Use a ladle to stir gently to ensure the tamarind leaves are evenly cooked.

  Continue to wait for about 1 minute for the tamarind leaves to cook a bit, then directly cut the green onion leaves into the soup, taste and adjust the seasoning one last time, then turn off the stove and serve in a bowl.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Final Product

  Sweet and sour soup with tamarind leaves and mackerel brings the light sour taste of tamarind leaves along with the sweet and fatty flavor of mackerel.

  The seasoning is adjusted to taste, the fish meat is tender, accompanied by a bit of sourness that is enjoyable, bringing an attractive flavor that cools the family on hot days, ensuring that your whole family will love it.