Food & Receipts

The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Delicious and Authentic-Tasting Sour Vinegar Soup with Mè Vinh Fish

Today, we invite you to join us in the kitchen as we whip up a mouth-watering and authentic Vinh sour fish soup. This delicious dish is perfect for a family meal and will surely tantalize your taste buds!

Administrator

31 August, 2024

Preparation
20 minutes Cooking
30 minutes Servings
2 – 3

Vinh catfish is a delicacy, and this Vinh catfish sour soup recipe is a delightful way to prepare it. This dish is a delightful blend of flavors and textures that will tantalize your taste buds. Follow these simple steps to create a delicious and authentic Vietnamese meal.

1 Ingredients for Vinh Catfish Sour Soup

2 whole Vinh catfish (700g)
10g fish sauce
10g seasoning powder
1 tamarind
4 lemongrass stalks
1 handful of mint leaves
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 handful of water spinach
1 handful of okra
3 tomatoes
4 eggplants
Spices: salt, sugar, seasoning powder, MSG, fish sauce

Ingredients for the sour soup

Tips for choosing fresh Vinh catfish:
– Look for fish with shiny, bright silver or gray scales and bright eyes. Avoid dull-colored fish with flaky or discolored scales.
– Fresh catfish should have a mild, pleasant scent, free from any strong fishy or strange odors. If it smells pungent, it’s not fresh.
– Purchase catfish from reputable sources, such as a trusted fish market or supermarket, to ensure its quality and origin.

2 Cooking Instructions

Step 1 Prepare the Ingredients

Preparing the ingredients

Clean and scale the catfish, then rinse it thoroughly and pat it dry. Finely chop the garlic, mint leaves, and eggplants. Quarter the tomatoes, and slice the okra and water spinach.

Step 2 Marinate the Catfish

Marinating the catfish

In a bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of MSG, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Rub this mixture over the catfish and let it marinate for about 30 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Step 3 Fry the Catfish

Frying the catfish

Heat a pan with 50ml of cooking oil. Fry the chopped garlic until golden and aromatic. Remove the garlic from the pan and set it aside. In the same pan, fry the marinated catfish until both sides are cooked evenly.

Step 4 Cook the Sour Soup

Cooking the sour soup

In a separate pot, bring 500ml of water to a boil. Squeeze the tamarind to extract its juice, and strain it into the boiling water. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of MSG, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Stir well. Add all the prepared vegetables and the fried catfish to the pot. Simmer until all the ingredients are cooked.

Step 5 Serving

Final dish

Once the soup is ready, garnish it with the fried garlic and serve it hot. The Vinh catfish sour soup is a delightful blend of colors and aromas. Don’t hesitate to try this recipe and impress your family and friends!

3 Enjoy!

Enjoy the delicious soup

The Vinh catfish sour soup is a flavorful and hearty dish. The catfish is tender and flaky, and the vegetables add a nice crunch. It goes perfectly with steamed rice, making it a satisfying and mouthwatering meal.

We hope you enjoyed this recipe for Vinh catfish sour soup. Now you can impress your loved ones with this authentic and tasty Vietnamese dish. Bon appétit!

Frequently asked questions

Mẻ Vinh fish is a type of small fish found in the Vinh region of Vietnam. It is a key ingredient in the traditional sour vinegar soup, as it adds a unique, strong flavor to the dish.

The fish needs to be cleaned and gutted, then soaked in salt water for about 15 minutes. After that, it is rinsed and drained before being added to the soup.

The soup also includes vinegar, tomatoes, pineapple, tamarind, dill, and various spices such as garlic, chili, and pepper.

It is recommended to use rice vinegar for this recipe, as it has a milder flavor that complements the fish and other ingredients well.

The tomatoes should be blanched and peeled before being chopped, while the pineapple needs to be peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces.

The cooking time is approximately 30 minutes. However, it is important to allow the soup to simmer gently to develop the flavors fully.

This soup is typically served hot, and it can be garnished with additional herbs such as dill or spring onions. It is often enjoyed as a comforting and tangy meal during cooler weather.