Wintermelon Soup / Canh Bí
Canh bí is another absolutely essential Vietnamese family meal soup. Similar to canh rau đay (Egyptian spinach soup) or canh sườn heo (pork sparerib soup), no home-cooked meal is complete without some soup to bring it all together. For me, canh bí really reminds me of home because it's my mom's favorite soup. I credit
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 quarts Water
- 1 small Winter Melon
- 1 small Shallot
- 1/3 cup Dried Shrimp
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp MSG
- 1/2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lb Shrimp
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Rehydrate dried shrimp in warm water for ten minutes. Then to a small stock pot, sauté minced shallots in oil until fragrant. Add dried shrimp and sauté for another minute
- 2
Add water, bring up to a boil, and skim off the impurities
- 3
Cut wintermelon into strips or quarters and add to the pot
- 4
Season with fish sauce, MSG, sugar, salt and pepper to taste
- 5
Combine minced shrimp with fish sauce, salt, and pepper, form loose balls with a spoon, and add to the pot. When they float, they're done cooking
- 6
Serve in a soup bowl, garnish with cilantro, green onions and black pepper