Canh Chua — Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup
This canh chua recipe simmers catfish in a tamarind-sour broth with pineapple, tomato, okra and bean sprouts, finished with fresh herbs and served with steamed rice. One serving is about 625 g, soup and rice together.
Canh chua comes from the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, where tamarind, pineapple and river fish are everyday ingredients. The sour soup is a home-cooking staple of the south, built around the catch of the day — often snakehead fish — and served with rice, and it stands apart from the lemongrass-and-chilli sour soups of neighbouring Thailand by its tamarind-and-pineapple base.
Pairs well with: Steamed rice and a small plate of fresh herbs
Provenance
Vietnam
Southern Vietnamese Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
45m
20m prep • 25m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
420 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 625 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Easy (One Pot)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Southern Vietnamese Classic
Photo: Phuong Huy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $3–4 per serving at home (USD)
A good canh chua is clear and bright, sour first, then savoury and just sweet, with the fish in whole pieces and the sprouts still crisp.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Fish, Fruit and Vegetables Ready
20 Mins • Knife Work
Cut the catfish into 4 cm pieces and the pineapple into chunks, wedge the tomatoes, slice the okra and rinse the bean sprouts. Stir the tamarind paste into warm water and strain it, so the broth turns sour and clear without seeds.
Maestro Tip: Strain the tamarind — a single seed in the soup is an unpleasant surprise at the table.
10 Mins Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Cut the 400 g of catfish into 4 cm pieces. Cut the pineapple into chunks, wedge the tomatoes, slice the okra into 2 cm pieces and rinse the bean sprouts.
Cut the fish last, after the vegetables, so the board stays clean for the vegetables.
Done when: Everything is cut, rinsed and ready by the stove.
10 Mins Simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Start the rice: rinse the 240 g of jasmine rice, add 360 ml of water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer on the lowest heat. Meanwhile fry the garlic and shallot in the oil for 1 minute, add the 1000 ml of water and the strained tamarind water, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Keep the broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil — the fish will cook in it next.
Done when: The rice is steaming and the broth is simmering and smells sour.
10 Mins Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Add the catfish pieces and the pineapple to the broth and simmer gently for 8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and reaches 63°C (145°F) inside. Stir in the fish sauce and sugar.
Do not stir hard once the fish is in — it breaks into flakes.
Done when: The fish is opaque, flakes easily and reads 63°C (145°F).
5 Mins Simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Add the tomato wedges and okra and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and chilli and simmer for 1 minute more — the sprouts should stay crisp.
The sprouts go in last; a minute is enough, or they turn soft and grey.
Done when: The okra is tender, the tomatoes are soft and the sprouts are still crisp.
10 Mins Serve hot, ~70°C (158°F)
Taste the soup: it should be sour first, then savoury and just sweet. Adjust with more fish sauce or sugar. Ladle over rice in wide bowls and scatter the herbs on top.
The rice finishes as you season the soup — rest it, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff.
Done when: The soup is steaming, bright and balanced; the rice is tender.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Ladle the soup over rice in wide bowls and scatter the herbs on top at the table, so they stay bright and fragrant. Taste once more before serving — the soup should be sour first, then savoury and just sweet.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
420
kcal / serving
Protein
23g
Complete AA
Carbs
68g
Complex
Fats
6g
Healthy
| Energy | 420 kcal |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 68 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Fibre | 3.7 g |
| Sugar | 15.2 g |
| Sodium | 440 mg |
| Energy | 67 kcal |
| Protein | 3.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10.9 g |
| Fat | 1 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g |
| Sugar | 2.4 g |
| Sodium | 70 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin C (pineapple, tomato, okra), vitamin A (okra, herbs), vitamin B12 (fish).
Light but Satisfying
About 23 g of protein per serving from fish and rice, with a clear broth that fills you up without heaviness.
Vegetables in Every Bowl
Pineapple, tomato, okra and bean sprouts add fibre, vitamin C and colour to a simple fish soup.
Bright, Appetite-Waking Sourness
Tamarind gives a clean, fruity sourness that wakes up the palate — the soup feels refreshing, not rich.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Steamed Jasmine Rice
Plain rice soaks up the sour broth and turns a light soup into a complete lunch.
Vegetables
Fresh Herbs on the Side
Extra coriander and sawtooth herb add fragrance and crunch, and let each person season their own bowl.
Drinks
Iced Tea, Unsweetened
Light and cold, it cools the chilli without adding sweetness to an already sweet-sour soup.
Full Menus
As Part of a Vietnamese Meal
Serve the soup family-style with rice, a plate of herbs and a simple stir-fry — the soup is the bright, sour centre of the table.
Complete menu
Serve the soup over steamed jasmine rice with a plate of fresh herbs on the side, and finish with unsweetened iced tea.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
A Second Sour Dish
Canh chua is already sharply sour; pairing it with another sour dish, such as a vinegar salad, makes the meal hard on the stomach. Choose plain rice and mild vegetables instead. This is general guidance, not medical advice.
Undercooked Fish
Fish must reach 63°C (145°F) and flake easily — never serve it translucent in the middle, and do not leave the finished soup standing at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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Comfort & Sustained Energy
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WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
