Pompano Fish and Sour Bamboo Soup (Canh Ca Chim Mang Chua)
This post contains affiliate links which we are compensated for if a purchase is made. Using links costs you nothing and helps to support the ongoing creation of content. • Jump to Recipe
Video Recipe: How to Make Pompano Fish & Sour Bamboo Soup (Canh Cá Chim Măng Chua)
What is Canh Chua?
Canh Chua is a Vietnamese sweet, sour, and savory soup. It’s a common side dish to steamed rice in a traditional Vietnamese family meal.
Related Post: The Guide to Cooking Perfectly Steamed Rice: Asian Kid Edition
Proteins for Canh Chua
This classic Vietnamese soup is made in various ways. It all depends on what you have on hand. In many Vietnamese households, such as mine, the most traditional sour soup is made with tamarind and catfish steaks.
If you don’t have fish, you can use other proteins such as shrimp, tofu, pork, or chicken. I have yet to try beef but I’m sure you can make it with beef too.
Vegetables for Canh Chua
The vegetables in Vietnamese sour soup include, but are not limited to, pineapples, water spinach, celery, tomatoes, elephant ear stalks, bean sprouts, bamboo, mushroom, and okra. You don’t need to include everything. Just choose two and you are set.
Pompano Fish & Sour Bamboo Soup (Canh Cá Chim Măng Chua)
Tartness: Lemon/Lime & Sour Bamboo
For this soup recipe, the tartness comes from lemon juice and sour bamboo. Sour, or pickled, bamboo is actually not too sour. The tartness fades away in the soup. We will add more tartness with freshly squeezed lemons or limes that I have discreetly stolen from the neighbor’s yard. The combined tartness of the sour bamboo and the lemon juice still isn’t as sour as soups made with tamarind. The resulting flavor is much more light and refreshing.
Pompano fish, tomatoes, and sour bamboo shoots
Pompano Fish
I’m using pompano fish, Cá Chim in Vietnamese, for the protein. Pompano fish is a white-flesh fish. You can find pompano in the fish department of Asian supermarkets.
Don’t know what they look like? No problem. They are easily distinguishable. Look for a fish that looks like it has been run over by a car. They are flat and about the size of a grown man’s hand. The most distinguishing features are the yellow tips tails, and underbelly, although this may not always be the case as the yellow pigment can be subtle on some.
Because of the yellow color, smaller pompano fish is kept in the aquarium of my dentist’s office. Fortunately, in the dentist’s office, fish is your friend, not food.
Pompano fish is fatty, incredibly delicious, and not very bony, making them kid-friendly.
Ingredients Canh Cá Chim Măng Chua: Lemon, tomatoes, garlic, rice paddy herbs, sour bamboo and pompano fish.
How to Make the Soup
Start off with cutting the fish into steaks. Steak cuts hold the fish together very well in soups. Drain the bamboo from the accompanying liquid and give it a good rinse with hot water.
Some people like to put fish and bamboo directly into the soup. I’ve done this as a shortcut to save time. But I’ve found that the fish and bamboo came out very bland, although the soup broth was very flavorful. For better flavor, in the below recipe, I season both the fish and bamboo before adding them to the soup.
Heat up some oil in a heavy-bottom pot. Add garlic and pan fry until fragrant. Toss the fish and bamboo in the aromatic oil. Add water then bring the pot to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes then season to taste with fish sauce, sugar, chicken or mushroom bouillon powder, salt, and MSG. You can skip the MSG if you wish, but it does provide a more authentic flavor.
Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes release their red color into the soup. That’s it. You’re done.
You can garnish the soup for a beautiful presentation with rice paddy herbs, chili peppers, and fried garlic, if you wish. If you can’t get your hands on rice paddy herbs, which can be difficult to find, simply use cilantro or basil.
Pompano Fish & Sour Bamboo Soup (Canh Cá Chim Măng Chua)
Complete the Meal
Sour soup is traditionally served with caramelized claypot catfish (Ca Kho).
Looking for something else? Try these other popular side dishes:
Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs (Suon Khia or Suon Ram Man)
Caramelized and Braised Pork Belly with Eggs (Thit Kho Tau)
Ginger Chicken (Ga Kho Gung)
Crispy Salt & Pepper Beef (Thit Bo Chien Muoi Tieu)
Bitter Melon and Eggs (Kho Qua Xao Trung)
Lazy Pan-Fried Lemongrass Pork Ribs with Sweet & Savory Glaze
Caramelized Shrimp (Tom Rim)
Pompano Fish and Sour Bamboo Soup (Canh Cá Chim Măng Chua)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Clean the fish thoroughly under cold running water and drain dry. Slice into 1-½ inch steaks. Set aside in a bowl. Drain sour bamboo from the accompanying liquid, rinse well with hot water and squeeze dry. Set aside in a separate bowl. Season both evenly with divided fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, and MSG. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- In a medium-size pot, heat vegetable oil on medium-high. Add garlic and fry until golden brown. You can set aside half of the fried garlic as garnish if you wish.
- Add marinated fish. Toss to coat in garlic oil and lightly cook for 30 seconds. Push fish aside then add marinated bamboo. Toss and cook in garlic oil as well for 30 seconds.
- Add water and bring it to a low simmer. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Use a mesh or small spoon to scoop out any scum that floats to the top.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Season soup to taste with fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, MSG, and lemon/lime juice.
- Garnish with fried garlic, cilantro/basil/rice paddy herbs, and chili peppers.
