Cambodian Chicken Sweet Sour Soup with Water Spinach

This Cambodian chicken sweet sour soup is built on a clear broth that gets its character from three simple things: fresh lemongrass, tamarind, and a handful of herbs stirred in at the end. The chicken simmers until tender, the water spinach goes in last so it keeps a little bite, and the whole pot comes together in about 45 minutes.

It is the kind of soup that works as the main dish for a light dinner, or alongside rice and a stir-fry for a fuller Cambodian-style meal. The sourness is gentle rather than sharp, the sweetness stays in the background, and the fried garlic on top adds a warm, toasted note.

What You Need

The ingredients for this soup are straightforward. You will need chicken cut into bite-size pieces, fresh or frozen minced lemongrass, tamarind juice or tamarind powder, fish sauce, and sugar for the broth base. Garlic gets fried first and used as a topping. Water spinach goes in at the end, and the fresh herbs—sweet basil and rice paddy herb—are stirred in just before serving.

Equipment

• Soup pot: To heat the oil, sauté the aromatics and chicken, and simmer the soup.
• Knife and cutting board: To cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and prepare the lemongrass, garlic, water spinach, and herbs.
• Small bowl: To hold the fried garlic while the rest of the soup cooks.
• Wooden spoon: To stir the ingredients and keep the chicken and vegetables moving in the pot.

How to Make Cambodian Chicken Sweet Sour Soup with Water Spinach

Step 1: Fry the garlic

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. When it is hot, add the vegetable oil and the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic until it turns brown, then remove it from the hot oil with a spoon and put it in a small bowl. Set it aside for topping the soup later.

Step 2: Cook the chicken with lemongrass

Add the minced lemongrass, chicken, and salt to the same pot with the hot oil. Sauté until the chicken meat turns light brown on the outside.

Step 3: Simmer the chicken

Pour in the water and bring it to a simmer. Cook until the chicken meat is tender.

Step 4: Season the broth

Season the soup with the tamarind juice (or tamarind powder), sugar, and fish sauce. Stir well and taste. Adjust the sourness, sweetness, or saltiness if needed.

Step 5: Add the water spinach

Add the cut water spinach to the pot. Stir and cook until the soup comes back to a bubbling simmer. The water spinach should be just wilted but still hold its shape.

Step 6: Finish with herbs and toppings

Turn off the heat. Top the soup with the chopped green onion, the fresh herbs (sweet basil and rice paddy herb), the reserved fried garlic, and the chopped hot chili pepper if you are using it.

Cooking Tips

• Do not overcook the water spinach. It should stay bright green and slightly crisp, not soft and dull.
• If you are using tamarind powder instead of juice, add it a little at a time and taste as you go. The strength of tamarind powder can vary.
• The fried garlic softens quickly in the hot broth, so add it right before serving for the best texture.

How to Serve

Serve this soup hot with steamed jasmine rice. It works well as part of a meal with a simple stir-fry or grilled meat on the side. The broth is light enough to drink on its own, and the herbs on top add a fresh finish to each bowl.

Recipe Notes

• Tamarind juice can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of tamarind powder. Adjust to taste.
• The hot chili pepper is optional. Add it to the pot or leave it on the side for people to add themselves.
• Rice paddy herb (ma-om) has a distinct citrus-like flavor. If you cannot find it, extra sweet basil can be used, though the flavor will be different.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

This soup is a good example of how Cambodian cooking builds flavor without heavy sauces or long ingredient lists. The lemongrass, tamarind, and fish sauce do most of the work, and the fresh herbs at the end lift everything up. It is a simple pot of soup that tastes clean and comforting, and it comes together quickly enough for a weeknight meal.

Chicken Sweet Sour Soup with Water Spinach

Recipe by Cambodia Recipe

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: SoupCuisine: CambodianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

180

Total time

45

minutes

This Cambodian chicken sweet sour soup balances tamarind sourness, gentle sweetness, and savory fish sauce in a light broth. Lemongrass gives it a fresh aroma, water spinach adds a crisp green bite, and the herbs and fried garlic on top bring everything together.

Ingredients

Metric US

• 2 tablespoons 2 vegetable oil

• 2 cloves 2 garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup 1/2 fresh or frozen minced lemon grass

• 1 lb 1 (450 gram) of chicken, cut to bite side

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 salt

• 6 cups 6 water

• 2 tablespoons 2 tamarind juice, or 1 tablespoon of Knorr tamarind powder

• 1 tablespoons 1 Sugar

• 2 tablespoons 2 fish sauce

• 1 lb 1 (450 gram) of asian water spinach *ta-kuon*, cut 3 inches length

• 1 1 stalk of green onion, chopped

• 3 3 chopped hot chili pepper or to your taste (option)

• A handful of chopped fresh herbs; sweet basil leaves, and rice paddy herb *ma-om*

Directions

• Heat up a large soup pot, when it hot add oil and garlic.
• Sauté garlic till brown then removed roasted garlic from hot oil and put it in a small bowl, set a side.
• Add lemon grass, chicken and salt to soup pot with hot oil, sauté till chicken meat turns light brown.
• Add water and cook till chicken meat tender.
• Seasoning soup with tamarind, sugar and fish sauce.
• Add Asian water spinach, stirs and cook till soup bubbling.
• Top soup with green onion, herbs, roasted garlic and hot pepper.

Equipment

• 
  Large Soup PotCheck product details
• 
  Wooden SpoonCheck product details
• 
  KnifeCheck product details
• 
  Cutting boardCheck product details
• 
  Small bowlCheck product details

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 150
• Total number of serves: 4
• Calories: 250kcal
• Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 4g
• Cholesterol: 50mg
• Sodium: 800mg
• Potassium: 400mg
• Carbohydrates: 15g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 3g
• Protein: 20g
• Vitamin A: 500IU
• Vitamin C: 30mg
• Calcium: 100mg
• Iron: 2mg
• Vitamin D: 0mg
• Vitamin E: 1mg
• Vitamin K: 50mg
• Thiamin: 0.1mg
• Riboflavin: 0.2mg
• Niacin: 5mg
• Vitamin B6: 0.5mg
• Vitamin B12: 0.4mg
• Folate: 50mg
• Biotin: 0mg
• Pantothenic Acid: 0.5mg
• Phosphorus: 150mg
• Iodine: 10mg
• Magnesium: 30mg
• Zinc: 2mg
• Selenium: 15mg
• Copper: 0.1mg
• Manganese: 0.5mg
• Chromium: 0mg
• Molybdenum: 0mg
• Chloride: 0mg

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