Catfish Soup with Pineapples (Canh Chua Ca)

 A sweet and sour soup that is filling and has a wide array of vegetables. This soup has a nice flavor that is slightly sour because of the tamarind, yet is sweet from the pineapples and added brown sugar. The bac ha is a wonderful vegetable addition to this soup. It has a spongy texture that just soaks up all the soup's flavor. My mom would serve this soup and we would place rice on the bottom of a bowl and add the soup on top. During the winter time, this soup would make a great starter.

Ingredient

Vegetables for the soup

3 Tbs tamarind pulp
4 cups chicken stock
1.5 cup water
1 lemongrass stalk
1 pound catfish fillets (~ 3 1-inch thick)
2 garlic cloves, minced.
2 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ cup bac ha
1 ½ cup pineapple chunks
2 tomato, slice into wedges
1 ½ cup okra, slice into bite size pieces
bean sprout
green onion, chopped

Direction
1. In a pot add stock, water, and tamarind pulp. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Strain stock to remove the pulp. Return broth into pot.
2. Cut the lemongrass stalk into 4-inch segment. For more flavor, bruise the stalk. Place lemongrass stalk into broth. Lemongrass stalk are not meant to be eaten in this dish; remove before serving.
3. Add catfish fillets to broth. Bring to a boil again and reduce to simmer.
4. Add garlic, fish sauce, sugar, bac ha, pineapples, tomato, and okra. Simmer for 15 minutes until fish is cooked and veggies have soften,
5. Garnish with bean sprouts and green onions.