Mai

This is another classic Vietnamese canh- a soup that is usually served as part of a family meal along with other main dishes and rice. This Vietnamese pumpkin soup is nothing like the creamy blended western pumpkin soup that you might know. In this canh, sweet and tender pieces of pumpkin float in a clear, umami broth along with flavorful bits of minced pork, pork ribs/bones, or shrimp- depending on what you choose to use. My personal preference is minced pork for the quicker option or riblets/bones if you have time to simmer them and get an incredibly umami broth!

This canh is light, healthy, and full of nutrients. It’s a great addition to any meal and as with other types of canh, my favorite thing to do is pour it over the last bit of rice in my bowl at the end of the meal.

INGREDIENTS FOR CANH BÍ ĐỎ

• Pumpkin – Bí đỏ: This soup should work just fine with other types of pumpkin-adjacent squashes with orange-flesh: kabocha squash, calabaza squash, butternut squash, etc.
• Ground pork, pork riblets/bones, shrimp, or chicken: minced pork, minced fresh shrimp, or riblets/bones are the classic options. The version with riblets/bones requires a longer simmering time to ensure they are cooked and tender, while the other versions take only 20 minutes. If using riblets/bones, you can increase the weight because to account for the bones.
  To make this halal/kosher, you can use minced chicken or turkey!
• Shallot – Hành khô/tím
• Green onion – Hành lá
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Sugar – Đường
• Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
• Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật
• Cilantro – Ngò rí/mùi tàu: optional for garnish

DIRECTIONS FOR CANH BÍ ĐỎ

1. Peel and mince shallot.
2. Cut green onion to separate the green and white parts. Chop both parts and store separately.
3. If using pork or chicken: mince if not already pre-ground.
   If using shrimp: peel, devein, and mince.
4. To a bowl, add your meat/shrimp, along with the minced shallot, the white parts of green onion, sugar, ground black pepper, and fish sauce. Mix well to combine and set aside to let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
5. Cut to remove the skin of the pumpkin. Scrape out the seeds/pulp and discard or save for another recipe.
6. Cut into bite-sized pieces, roughly 2-3cm wide/long and 1-1.5cm thick. Try to make the pieces as even as you can, so that they cook at the same rate.
7. Heat a pot on medium and add oil.
8. Add in the meat/shrimp and sauté (breaking it up if using ground meat/shrimp) until the meat is no longer pink or the shrimp turns pink.
9. Pour in the water and bring to a boil.
10. Add in the pumpkin pieces along with the bouillon and skim off any foam that rise to the surface.
11. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin pieces are tender.
12. Chop cilantro, if using.
13. Season the broth to taste with fish sauce.
14. Ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onion greens and cilantro.

Canh bí đỏ • Vietnamese pumpkin soup

Recipe by MM Bon Appétit Course: SoupsCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

0

minutes

Tender and naturally sweet cubes of pumpkin in a clear and umami broth. This soup can be made with pork, shrimp, or even chicken!

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 700 g 700 pumpkin (see Notes)

• 250 g 250 protein of choice: ground pork or chicken, pork riblets or bones, shrimp (see Notes)

• 20 g 20 shallot

• 30 g 30 green onion

• 2 tsp 2 fish sauce (+ more to taste)

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 sugar

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp 1 vegetable oil

• 1.5 liter 1.5 water

• 1 tsp 1 bouillon

• Cilantro (optional for garnish)

Directions

• Peel and mince shallot.
• Cut green onion to separate the green and white parts. Chop both parts and store separately.
• If using pork or chicken: mince if not already pre-ground.
  If using shrimp: peel, devein, and mince.
• To a bowl, add your meat/shrimp, along with the minced shallot, the white parts of green onion, sugar, ground black pepper, and fish sauce. Mix well to combine and set aside to let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
• Cut to remove the skin of the pumpkin. Scrape out the seeds/pulp and discard or save for another recipe.
• Cut into bite-sized pieces, roughly 2-3cm wide/long and 1-1.5cm thick. Try to make the pieces as even as you can, so that they cook at the same rate.
• Heat a pot on medium and add oil.
• Add in the meat/shrimp and sauté (breaking it up if using ground meat/shrimp) until the meat is no longer pink or the shrimp turns pink.
• Pour in the water and bring to a boil.
• Add in the pumpkin pieces along with the bouillon and skim off any foam that rise to the surface.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin pieces are tender.
• Chop cilantro, if using.
• Season the broth to taste with fish sauce.
• Ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onion greens and cilantro.

Notes

• Pumpkin: This soup should work just fine with other types of pumpkin-adjacent squashes with orange-flesh: kabocha squash, calabaza squash, butternut squash, etc.
• Protein: minced pork, minced fresh shrimp, or riblets/bones are the classic options. The version with riblets/bones requires a longer simmering time to ensure they are cooked and tender, while the other versions take only 20 minutes. If using riblets/bones, you can increase the weight because to account for the bones. To make this halal/kosher, you can use minced chicken or turkey!

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