Canh Chua, Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup

Name: Canh Chua, Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Tamarind paste; 2 Medjool dates, pitted; 3 Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges; 8 Okras, cut on the bias; 8 oz Firm tofu, cubed; 1 1/2 cups Cabbage sprouts / microgreens, bean sprouts; 2 Thai bird chiles, sliced; 3 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari; 1 Lime, juiced; 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped; 2 Scallions, sliced

Serves 4 35 min total, 25 min hands on Vietnamese $1.37 per serving A little salt

Canh chua is the Vietnamese sour soup, usually built on tamarind and a good deal of sugar and fish sauce. The tamarind stays, the sugar becomes a blended date, and tamari plus a lot of lime carry the savory and sour notes. Add the sprouts and herbs off the heat so they keep their snap.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Tamarind paste
2 Medjool dates, pitted
3 Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 Okras, cut on the bias
8 oz Firm tofu, cubed
1 1/2 cups Cabbage sprouts / microgreens, bean sprouts
2 Thai bird chiles, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
1 Lime, juiced
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Scallions, sliced

Method

Bring 6 cups (1.4 L) water to a simmer. Whisk in the tamarind paste until it dissolves. This sour broth is the whole identity of the soup, so taste it: it should make you wince a little.
Blend the dates with a ladle of the hot broth and stir it back in. Canh chua is sour first and sweet second, and here the date does the sweetening instead of sugar.
Add the garlic and chiles and simmer for 5 minutes to build the base.
Add the tomatoes and okra and simmer for 5 minutes, until the okra is tender and the tomatoes start to slump. The okra also lightly thickens the broth.
Slide in the tofu and simmer gently for 2 minutes, just to heat it through.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the tamari, the lime juice, and the bean sprouts. The sprouts should stay crunchy, so residual heat is all they need.
Ladle into bowls and pile on the cilantro and scallions. Taste one more time and add lime for sour or tamari for depth.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving: 185 calories, 12 g protein, 6 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.

Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.