Vietnamese sour soup

Canh chua (literally "sour soup") is a sour soup indigenous to the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. It is typically made with fish from the Mekong River Delta, pineapple, tomatoes (and sometimes also other vegetables such as okra or bạc hà), and bean sprouts, in a tamarind-flavored broth. It is garnished with the lemony-scented herb ngò ôm (Limnophila aromatica), caramelized garlic, and chopped scallions, as well as other herbs, according to the specific variety of canh chua; these other herbs may include rau răm (Vietnamese coriander), ngò gai (long coriander), and rau quế (Thai basil).

The sour taste of the soup comes from tamarind, which is mixed with a small amount of hot water; the mixture is then stirred for a few moments to release all the essence, and the liquid (minus the tamarind seeds and other solids, which are discarded) is then added to the soup.

When made in style of a hot pot, canh chua is called lẩu canh chua.

When it comes to canh chua (literally means “sour soup”) most people are familiar with canh chua cá (sour fish soup). There are many different variations to canh chua. Some are cooked with bamboo, eel, chicken, pork ribs or prawns. Undoubtedly the original cooked with fish, tamarind, pineapples, elephant ears, tomatoes and okra is the still the best.

Another version of canh chua my mum usually makes is with prawns and water spinach. My husband much prefers this one because he finds the fish one too fishy. Tamarind is use to give the sour taste in canh chua. I would much prefer to use fresh tamarind for this soup but since I can’t get fresh tamarind I used a tamarind sour soup powder (which has a lot of other seasoning in it).

Garnishing canh chua with rice paddy herb (ngò om) and saw tooth coriander (ngò gai) really enhances this dish (don’t you just love the names of these herbs). This herb is called saw tooth herb. It has a very strong taste and smell which is hard to describe. My parents have an abundance of this herb growing in their backyard.

Banh Tam cari

Banh Tam Cari is a Vietnamese preparation made of special rice noodles and and very spicy chicken curry. It is really a Ca Mau specialty. Ca Mau is a Vietnamese name that refers to a province or peninsula in Vietnam.

Banh is a Vietnamese term,which means 'cake','bread' or 'a variety of cooked food'. Vietnamese cuisine is widely available in countries with strong Vietnamese immigrant communities such as Australia, the United States, Canada and France. It is also popular in Japan, Korea , Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Russia, Laos, Thailand and in areas with dense Asian population.

Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by Asian principle of five elements. Many Vietnamese dishes include five spices, spicy[metal], sour[wood], bitter[fire], salty[water], and sweet[earth] corresponding to five organs, gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach and urinary bladder. They also try to have five colors, white, green, yellow, red and black in their dishes.

In Banh Tam Cari, these five colors are there from rice noodles, herbs, spices, and chicken curry. The principle of 'yin and yang' is applied in selecting the ingredients of a dish, and the dishes of a meal, and in matching dishes,the climatic conditions, the prevalent environment and the current physical well being of the diners are taken into consideration. Chicken is considered "warm" and dishes with chicken are usually eaten in cold winters.

Rice vermicelli soup (Bún riêu)

Bún riêu is a Vietnamese meat rice vermicelli soup. There are several varieties of bún riêu, including bún riêu cua, bún riêu cá, and bún riêu ốc.

Bún riêu cua is served with tomato broth and topped with crab or shrimp paste. In this dish, various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in rice paddies in Vietnam. The crabs are cleaned by being placed in clean water to remove dirt and sand. The crabs are pounded with the shell on to a fine paste. This paste is strained and the crab liquid is a base for the soup along with tomato. The crab residue is used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients for this dish are: fried tofu, mẻ or giấm bổng (kinds of rice vinegar), Garcinia multiflora Champ., annatto seeds (hạt điều màu) to redden the broth, huyết (congealed pig's blood), split water spinach stems, shredded banana flower, rau kinh giới (Elsholtzia ciliata), spearmint, perilla, bean sprouts and chả chay (vegetarian sausage). This dish is rich in nutrition: calcium from the ground crab shells, iron from the congealed pig's blood, and vitamins and fiber from the vegetables.