Canh Chua Tamarind Soup with Shrimp

Ingredients

• 12 oz Shrimp
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 cup Pineapple, cut into chunks
• 1 cup Okra, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Handful bean sprouts
• Rice paddy herb or cilantro, torn

Method

1. Sizzle the garlic in oil in a soup pot until golden, then pour in the stock, tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes and taste — adjust until the sour leads and the sweet follows.
2. Add the tomatoes and Pineapple; simmer 5 minutes until the tomatoes slump and stain the broth.
3. Slide in the Shrimp and Okra, and cook gently 3–5 minutes — shrimp curl and blush, fish flakes, tofu just heats through.
4. Kill the heat, pile in the bean sprouts and herbs, and serve immediately with rice on the side. The sprouts should still crunch.