Name: Sweet and sour fish soup
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 60 gm tamarind pulp; 1.5 litres fish stock or water; 1/3 cup fish sauce; ¼ cup finely grated palm sugar; 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 150 gm okra, cut into thirds widthways; 250 gm piece of pineapple, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced; 200 gm flathead fillets, cut into 2cm pieces; 1 vine-ripened tomato, cut into thin wedges; 2 fresh red birdseye chillies, seeded and thinly sliced; 2 tsp lime juice; To serve: Vietnamese mint, coriander leaves and lime wedges

Canh chua ca

Ingredients

60 gm tamarind pulp

1.5 litres fish stock or water

1/3 cup fish sauce

¼ cup finely grated palm sugar

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

150 gm okra, cut into thirds widthways

250 gm piece of pineapple, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

200 gm flathead fillets, cut into 2cm pieces

1 vine-ripened tomato, cut into thin wedges

2 fresh red birdseye chillies, seeded and thinly sliced

2 tsp lime juice

To serve: Vietnamese mint, coriander leaves and lime wedges

Method

Main

1.Combine tamarind pulp and ½ cup boiling water in a small bowl, set aside for 5 minutes, then press through a sieve, reserving paste and discarding seeds.

2.Combine fish stock, tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and garlic in a large saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add okra, pineapple and flathead, then cook for 2-3 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.

3.Add tomato, chillies and lime juice to soup and stir to combine, then cook for another 1-2 minutes or until tomato is soft. Season to taste, then ladle soup among bowls and serve immediately, scattered with herbs, with extra herbs and lime wedges passed separately.

Styling by Rodney Dunn

Styling by Emma Ross