Bowl of Water Lily Stem Sour Soup
(click to enlarge)

Water Lily Stem Sour Soup


Cambodia  
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 cups
***
1-1/4 hr
Yes		 An attractive and satisfying soup. Water Lily Stems are much eaten in Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Bengal and Assam India. See also Vegetarian.

8
8
4
2
1
1
2
1/3
2
1/2
1/3
4
----
ar
oz
oz
T
cl
in


c
T
T
t
c
----

Water Lily Stem (1)  
Fish (2)
Tamarind Block (3)
Garlic
Galangal (4)
Lemon Grass (5)
Thai Chili (6)
Herbs (7)
Fish Sauce (8)
Soy Sauce
Salt
Water
-- Garnish
Scallions
Prep   -   (35 min)
  1. Peel LILY STEMS and cut into about 2 inch lengths.
  2. Cut FISH FILLETS into 1 inch pieces or as desired.
  3. Soak about 4 T of TAMARIND BLOCK in 1/3 cup hot water for 20 minutes (or more if it is old). Press through a fine strainer to collect the liquid. Be sure to scrape the outside of of the strainer. Discard the solids.
  4. Peel GARLIC and crush lightly.
  5. Slice GALANGAL about 1/8 inch thick.
  6. Peel tough outer leaves from LEMON GRASS. Cut off the root end and the tips to about 8 inches. Crush firmly with your kitchen mallet and cut into thirds.
  7. Slit CHILIS in half lengthwise up to near the cap.
  8. Chop HERBS small. Measure is after chopping.
  9. Chop SCALLIONS for Garnish.
Run   -   (35 min)
  1. In a sauce pan (2 qt) bring Water up to a boil. Add Garlic, Galangal, and Lemon Grass. Simmer about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in Tamarind Water, and Lily Stems, and Chilis. Bring back to a simmer until Lily, Stems are crisp tender, 10 to 15 minutes. The Stems should still be a little crisp.
  3. Stir in Fish, Herbs, Fish Sauce, and Soy Sauce. Bring quickly back to a Simmer and turn off the heat as soon as the fish is cooked through.
  4. Serve hot topped with sliced Scallions.
NOTES:

  1. Water Lily Stem:

      [Bông Súng (Viet), Shapla (Bengali), Daenophka li li (Khmer); These have become available (2025) in one of the large Asian markets in Los Angeles (San Gabriel Superstore). For details see our Water Lily page.

  2. Fish:

      Use a fish that holds up well to wet cooking. My favorites are Golden Pompano, Amberjack, and Tilapia. For details see our Varieties of Fish page.

  3. Tamarind:

      The above recipe assumes use of the Block Form. If Tamarind Concentrate is used, use about 3 Tablespoons.

  4. Galangal:

      This hard relative of Ginger is available fresh, frozen, or in jars in markets serving an East or Southeast Asian community.

  5. Lemon Grass:

      These tough grass stems are now widely available in North America in markets that serve an East or Southeast Asian community. For details see our Lemon Grass page.

  6. Thai Chilis:

      Red or Green. These are very hot but small, so don't make this soup very chili hot. half a Serrano could be used if not available. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  7. Herbs:

      Here's were "authenticity" hits reality. I know one market in San Gabriel that sometimes has "Rice Patty Herb", but didn't want to do a 40 mile round trip to find out if they had it. Fresh "Tamarind Leaves" used by another recipe (in great quantity) are impossible even here in Los "Angeles. I used a mix of about 3/4 Cilantro and 1/4 Mint and that worked fine.

  8. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  9. Vegetarian:

      Instead of Fish, use about 10 ounces of Firm Tofu. Skip the Fish Sauce and double the amount of Soy Sauce. Both the Fish version and Tofu version come from authentic Cambodian sources.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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