Home Food & Receipts The Ultimate Trio of Sour Soups: A Hearty, Soul-Warming Delight

Food & Receipts

The Ultimate Trio of Sour Soups: A Hearty, Soul-Warming Delight

Administrator

12 November, 2024

Beef and Pickled Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

– 200g beef short ribs

– 1 bowl of pickled vegetables

– Spring onions, garlic, seasoning, tomatoes

Instructions

Wash the beef and cut it into small squares. Marinate the beef with half a teaspoon of ground pepper, a third of a teaspoon of seasoning powder, and a dash of fish sauce. Let it sit for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil and add the chopped garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the marinated beef and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the meat is slightly browned.

In a separate pan, add a little oil and sauté the chopped onion until translucent. Then, add the diced tomatoes and season with half a teaspoon of seasoning powder. Cook for about 2 minutes. After that, add the pickled vegetables, making sure to squeeze out the excess liquid, and season with half a teaspoon of fish sauce. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes to allow the vegetables to absorb the flavors.

Combine the vegetable mixture with the beef in a pot. Add 1.5 liters of water and half a bowl of pickled vegetable brine. Simmer over medium heat for about 40 minutes until the beef is tender. Finally, adjust the seasoning to your taste. Just before turning off the heat, add a few slices of chili and chopped spring onions for extra flavor.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional spring onions and chili slices. Enjoy this hearty beef and pickled vegetable soup with steamed white rice. It’s a must-have dish during cold winter days.

Enjoy this beef and pickled vegetable soup with a bowl of steamed rice

Sour Soup with Snakehead Fish and Giang Leaves

Ingredients

– 1 snakehead fish (about 500g)

– 100 giang leaves

– 150g tomatoes

– Rice paddy herb, saw-leaf herb, chili, garlic

– Fish sauce, salt, oil, palm sugar, vinegar

Instructions

Clean the fish by washing it with salt and vinegar to remove the slime and any fishy odor. Then, rinse it thoroughly with water and pat it dry. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and marinate with a tablespoon of fish sauce for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate.

Peel and chop the garlic. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Remove the roots and tough stems from the rice paddy herb and saw-leaf herb, then wash them thoroughly. Cut the chili, discarding the stem.

Separate the fresh giang leaves from the stems and discard any wilted leaves. Rinse the leaves gently and let them air dry in a colander.

Heat a pan on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic. Once the garlic turns golden, remove half of it and set it aside. Next, add the marinated fish and pan-fry it briefly, just enough to sear both sides without fully cooking it. Meanwhile, prepare a pot of boiling water.

Once the fish is seared, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Add the tomatoes to the pan and sauté until softened.

When the water in the pot comes to a boil, add the sautéed tomatoes. Once the water returns to a boil, carefully place the partially cooked fish into the pot and let it cook through.

When the fish is cooked, add the giang leaves and bring the soup to a boil again. Season with a touch of palm sugar to create the signature sweet and sour taste of the sour soup. Finally, turn off the heat and add half a tablespoon of fish sauce, along with the chopped saw-leaf herb and rice paddy herb to enhance the aroma.

Ladle the sour fish soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chili slices and the reserved fried garlic. This flavorful sour soup with snakehead fish and giang leaves is sure to be a delightful addition to your family meal.

The sour soup with snakehead fish and giang leaves will surely be a flavorful addition to your family meal.

Squid Sour Soup

Ingredients

– 2 squid tubes (about 200g)

– 1 piece of silvergrass (dọc mùng)

– 1/4 pineapple

– 50g bean sprouts

– 3-4 winged beans

– 1 tomato

– 1 small packet of tamarind

– A few sprigs of rice paddy herb and saw-leaf herb

– Garlic and chili

– Seasonings: sugar, salt, fish sauce, white wine, oil

Instructions

Peel the silvergrass and cut it into thin slices. Rub the slices with a little salt to remove any unpleasant odor, then rinse and drain. Peel and core the pineapple, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Trim the ends of the winged beans and cut them diagonally. Wash the tomato and quarter it. Remove the roots and tough stems from the herbs, then wash them. Make sure to clean the bean sprouts thoroughly to remove any dirt.

Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 5 minutes to soften, then use a strainer to extract the pulp.

Clean the squid and rinse it with a little white wine to eliminate any fishy smell. Pat it dry and cut it into rings.

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic. When the garlic turns golden, remove half of it and set it aside. Next, add the squid and a dash of fish sauce to the pan and stir-fry until the squid is cooked. Transfer the squid to a plate.

In a pot, bring water to a boil and season it with salt, tamarind pulp, and sugar to taste. Avoid using powdered seasoning or MSG in this sour soup.

After seasoning the broth, add the vegetables in the following order: pineapple, tomato, silvergrass, winged beans, and bean sprouts. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the stir-fried squid, along with a tablespoon of fish sauce. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Turn off the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with chopped rice paddy herb and saw-leaf herb, along with the reserved fried garlic and fresh chili slices.

Now you have a delicious and refreshing squid sour soup, perfect for a summer family meal!