Waiting 11 years to try Canh Chua Ca again..... (My 1st Entry to Delicious Vietnam)

Canh Chua Ca (Sweet and Sour Soup with Mahi-mahi)

Eleven years ago, Hubster and I moved in together. We come from very different backgrounds. He emigrated to the the U.S. from Vietnam as a teenager and was raised half of his adolescent years in foster care and I'm a small town, Vermonter, that was raised with the Earth as our Mother, snow, and knowing almost everyone in the area since I was born (this being a fact of life since my Birth Mother, was a school teacher and knows almost everyone!).

After a few weeks of living together I was very excited to try out some Vietnamese Recipes. I had three Vietnamese Cookbooks, had read then cover to cover, and was sure I was armed with all the literature I needed to make a great Vietnamese meal. So, all on my own I decided to make Canh Chua Ca.

I went to the Asian market and got everything I thought I needed. Well I didn't get the Rice Paddy Herb. In the recipes I had reviewed, it described Rice Paddy Herb as being strong tasting like Cilantro, and some said it could be substituted. Everything went together nicely and I was so excited for Hubster to eat my new creation!

And this is what he said, "Where is the ngo om? YOU can't make Canh Chua Ca without ngo om. It's like making peanut butter and jelly and leaving out the JELLY!! Why would you even attempt to make a dish if you didn't have all the necessary ingredients?!"

I was crushed and hurt, but understood his feelings even though I thought it was still good. Since that time I've made many different Vietnamese Dishes, but I had NEVER made Canh Chua again until.........LAST WEEKEND.

Hubster was looking at my lovely Gigantic Elephant Ear plant (from the Taro family) growing beside our front porch. He commented on wondering if we could eat them and that looking at them made his mouth water for Canh Chua Ca. He even suggested we harvest some and make a small pot. But I knew better and told him I wasn't eating any plant I wasn't definite about the genus and species.

So we spent about an hour reading all these horror stories of people thinking they were eating Taro stalk (bạc hà) and having it not be the right species! Stories about a half an hour after finishing their dinner their mouths were burning with pin prickling sensations that lasted for up to an hour!!! Not FUN!!

The moral of this is: buy your Taro stalk from a reputable grocery store, and to never eat it raw because all Taro contain raphides, or needle shaped crystal that are calcium oxalate. Basically poisonous! The cooking process minimizes these toxins so we can eat them.

Hopefully now I haven't scared you, but educated you for great success in making Canh Chua Ca.

~Canh Chua Ca~

(Sweet and Sour Soup with Mahi-mahi)

Ingredients:
2 pounds Mahi-mahi fillets
water to cover fish
3 cups Taro stalks, sliced bite size
12 fresh Okra, cut bite size
3 tomatoes, wedged
1 large pineapple, cut bite size
1/4 c. tamarind paste
Nice handful of cut up Rice Paddy Herb
sugar
fish sauce
caramelized scallions, and bean sprouts (optional)

Serve on serving of rice in bowl.


Directions:
Place fish in large pot and cover with water until the fish is submerged one inch underwater.
Boil fish in water for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Spoon off the foam that appears on the top surface to keep broth very clear. Remove the cooked fish from pot. Add Taro Stalks, Okra, and Pineapple. Cook for 15 minutes. Then put in the tomatoes and cook until desired texture (firm, but not mushy). Add the tamarind paste and taste for flavor. Then add about 3 Tablespoons of sugar and taste again. Now salt the broth with fish sauce, about 1/2 cup, and taste to see if adjustments are needed. Add the fish back to the pot and then drop in the Rice Paddy Herb -right before serving on top of a large spoonful of Jasmine Rice. Add caramelized scallions and bean sprouts when serving if desired. The Rice Paddy Herb will soften up by the time the dish reaches the table and will enhance the aroma and color of the dish. Enjoy!


Now eleven years have passed and I have defeated all my hurt feelings of trying to make Canh Chua Ca. And Hubster's words were,"Man this is really good honey, you nailed this one, and the Mahi-mahi is great in this dish! Nice Job!"


I would also like to say I am very excited to be taking part in the Delicious Vietnam Blog Event for the first time. I have enjoyed reading all the past entries and getting wonderful and inspirational ideas. Many thanks to the very talented creators, blogs: Host Anh from A Food Lover's Journey , and Ravenous Couple