Hot & Sour Soup with Shrimp

Published by

ashleychmcgee

on

November 11, 2024

I remember the first time I had this soup on the West Bank of New Orleans where there is a large Vietnamese population. Groups of us would go so we could try many things and just share it all. Nine Roses had this soup which, of course, I had to recreate at home and for Stardust, when I had the restaurant. The tanginess from the tamarind and pineapple are so good, but it’s the fresh okra, celery, tomatoes and mung bean sprouts that make it a textural dream. Hope you like it too.

Hot & Sour Soup with Tamarind, Shrimp, Pineapple & Okra

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 45

Servings servings

Equipment

Equipment: cutting board, chef’s knife, small saucepan to make tamarind liquid, large sauce pot to make soup, medium saucepan to blanch tomatoes, bowl of ice water to shock tomatoes for concasse, , slotted spoon or spider, wooden spoon

Ingredients

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. avocado or other neutral oil
1 large yellow onion thinly sliced radial julienne
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
3 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
½ cup tamarind liquid made from 1 block tamarind pulp
8 cups water
3 cups pineapple juice
1-½ pound shrimp peeled and deveined (maybe cut in ½ lengthwise)
2 cups bite-sized chunks fresh or frozen pineapple NOT canned
20 fresh okra stemmed and cut on bias – ¼ inch wide slices
1 pound fresh tomatoes concassé but not rough chop, but cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup fresh bean sprouts
2 tsp ground cumin
10-12 sprigs cilantro roughly chopped (or chiffonade)

Instructions

Method of Preparation:

Gather ingredients.
First, concasse the tomatoes: bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Get a bowl of ice water ready.
Core the tomatoes.
Score the tomatoes.
Blanch them for about 30-45 seconds
Then immediately shock in ice water.
Peel the skins off the tomatoes.
Then remove the seeds.
Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces.
Make the tamarind juice by simmering tamarind pulp block with 4 cups water for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and steep for 30 more. Strain. Use immediately or freeze in ice cube blocks.
In an 8-quart sauce pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant and soft.
Add the salt, sugar, fish sauce, tamarind liquid, pineapple juice and water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer.
Add the shrimp and pineapple; simmer 5 minutes – or until the shrimp are tender and pink.
*** If you are not serving the soup right away, turn off the heat and cover at this point.
Just before serving, return the soup to a simmer. Drop in the okra and cook for 2 minutes, or until tender but still firm.
Add the tomatoes, bean sprouts and cumin. When the bean sprouts have just wilted, after about 30 seconds, turn off the heat.
Taste and adjust with salt or fish sauce, if necessary.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with the cilantro.