Canh chua

Canh chua is a Vietnamese soup with a sour, sweet and savoury broth, usually made with tamarind, fish or shrimp, and vegetables. It is a everyday family dish in southern Vietnam, where it is served alongside rice and other dishes.

What it really is

Canh chua is a simmered soup. The base is a stock made from fish or shrimp, soured with tamarind and sweetened and rounded with pineapple and a little sugar or fish sauce. Tomato, okra, bean sprouts and elephant ear or taro stems are common additions, and sawtooth herb and other leafy herbs are added at the end, along with chilli. The soup is seasoned to a balance of sour, sweet and salty rather than to a single dominant flavour.

Canh chua is closely associated with the Mekong Delta, where tamarind and fresh fish are common, and the southern version is the one most often meant by the name. It differs from other Vietnamese soups such as canh chua variants made with different souring agents, and from Thai tom yum, which is built on lemongrass, galangal and chilli rather than on a tamarind and pineapple base.

How it's served

• Served hot in a bowl alongside steamed white rice, as part of a shared family meal.
• Eaten with a spoon and chopsticks, with the rice taken between sips of soup.
• Herbs and chilli are often added at the table by each diner.
• Often served with fish sauce on the side for guests to adjust the seasoning.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the souring agent and the protein, for example "Canh chua with catfish, tamarind and pineapple".
• Flag shellfish and fish as allergens when shrimp or fish is used in the broth.
• State whether the dish is made with fish or shrimp, and whether it contains fish sauce.
• Note the herbs and chilli served on the side, and the rice that accompanies it.