Mai

Canh are Vietnamese soups that are served as a part of a family meal along side other shared dishes, usually proteins and vegetables. This was hands down my favorite canh as a kid because of its simple, but delicious flavors and super silky texture.

It is made from purple yam, commonly known in Vietnamese as khoai mỡ, khoai tím, or khoai tía, amongst other names. Khoai refers to potato and most tubers. Mỡ means fat and khoai mỡ is named this way likely because of its creamy texture and because when raw, the cross section looks like the marbling of fat in meat. Tím and tía mean purple, so those names are self explanatory.

This tuber is better known in English by its Filipino name: ube. Purple yam isn’t to be confused with purple sweet potato. It has a creamy texture and is somewhat slimy when raw. While it is now widely known to be used in Filipino and other desserts, in Vietnam, it is more often used for savory dishes.

This canh can be made with several different types of protein: minced pork, minced fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, or riblets. The version with riblets requires a longer simmering time to ensure the riblets are cooked, while the other versions take only 15-20 minutes.
For the dried shrimp version, you will to rehydrate, then pound the shrimp first. For the fresh shrimp version, you will need to peel and devein the shrimps, then mince them with a knife or food processor.
To make this halal/kosher, you can use minced chicken or turkey!
After that method for the soup is virtually the same for all versions: marinate the protein, sauté it, add water, then the purple yam, and simmer.

This soup stands out from other Vietnamese canh. While most are light and brothy, this soup is thicker and creamier even though there is no dairy added like in western soups, thanks to the natural texture of the purple yam.

You can either use whole or frozen grated yam. Important note: the raw peel of the yam has a skin irritant (which doesn’t cause issues once cooked). So if you have sensitive skin, I would recommend wearing gloves while handling it or using the frozen kind.

While the yam is the star of the show, this soup cannot be complete without ngò gai and/or ngò om (culantro and rice paddy herb, respectively). If you absolutely cannot find them in your local Asian grocery store, add extra green onions.

INGREDIENTS FOR CANH KHOAI MỠ

• Purple yam – Khoai mỡ/khoai tím/khoai tía: not to be confused with purple sweet potato. If buying fresh, the skin should be black and tough- almost like tree bark. It has a creamy texture and is somewhat slimy when raw. Fresh purple yam tends to yield a thicker result, so if you’re using fresh, you only need around 500g for 4 servings, whereas you would need ~700g of frozen purple yam for 4 servings.
• Ground pork, riblets, fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, or chicken – Thịt heo băm, sườn, tôm tươi tôm khô, hoặc gà: minced pork, minced fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, or riblets are classic options. The version with riblets requires a longer simmering time to ensure the riblets are cooked, while the other versions take only 15-20 minutes.
  For the dried shrimp version, you will to rehydrate, then pound the shrimp first. For the fresh shrimp version, you will need to peel and devein the shrimps, then mince them with a knife or food processor. To make this halal/kosher, you can use minced chicken or turkey!
• Culantro – Ngò gai
• Rice paddy herb – Ngò om
• Shallot – Hành khô/tím
• Green onion – Hành lá
• Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
• 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.
• Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật

DIRECTIONS FOR CANH KHOAI MỠ

1. If using frozen yam: defrost.
2. Peel and mince shallot.
3. Cut green onion to separate the green and white parts. Chop both parts and store separately.
4. If using pork or chicken: mince if not already pre-ground.
   If using fresh shrimp: peel, devein, and mince.
   If using dried shrimp: rehydrate in water, then mince or pulse in a food processor.
5. To a bowl, add your meat/shrimp, along with half of the minced shallot, the white parts of green onion, ground black pepper, and fish sauce. Mix well to combine and set aside to let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
   If using whole yam: peel, then mince, grate, or cut into chunks then pulse with a food processor (you want small pieces rather than a paste for better texture).
6. If using frozen cubed yam: mince, grate, or pulse with food processor.
7. For culantro, cut to remove the thin white parts at the bottom, then slice crosswise into small strips/ribbons.
   For rice paddy herb, pick tender tips and leaves off the big main stem. Chop crosswise into 1cm lengths.
8. Heat a large pot on medium and add oil.
9. Add the remaining minced shallot and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds)
10. 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.
11. Add water and bring to boil.
    NOTE: If using riblets, you will need to then reduce heat to low and simmer the ribs for at least 20 minutes until tender before adding the yam.
12. Add in the yam and bouillon, and stir well so that the yam combines with the broth. Skim off any foam that rise to the top.
13. Cook the soup, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until any bits of yam are soft and creamy. Fresh yam will take longer to cook than frozen (about 15-20 minutes vs 10 minutes, respectively).
14. Add more water if your soup is too thick. You will need to add more water for fresh vs frozen yam.
15. Season to taste with fish sauce.
16. Add in green onion greens and culantro/rice paddy herb (save a few pieces for garnish), mix, and turn off heat.
17. Add to bowl, garnish with the reserved herbs and serve immediately!

Canh khoai mỡ – Canh khoai tím • Vietnamese purple yam soup

Course: SoupsCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Makes

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

A bright purple, umami soup with a creamy and silky texture, super fragrant with the addition of culantro (ngò gai) and rice paddy herb (ngò om)

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• 700 g 700 purple yam (see Notes)

• 250 g 250 minced/ground pork, riblets, fresh/dried shrimp, or chicken

• 20 g 20 shallot

• 1.5 liter 1.5 water

• 30 g 30 green onion

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 ground black pepper

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

• 1 tbsp 1 vegetable oil

• 2 tsp 2 bouillon

• Culantro (ngò gai) and/or rice paddy herb (ngò om)

Directions

• If using frozen yam: defrost.
• 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 fresh shrimp: peel, devein, and mince.
  If using dried shrimp: rehydrate in water, then mince or pulse in a food processor.
• To a bowl, add your meat/shrimp, along with half of the minced shallot, the white parts of green onion, ground black pepper, and fish sauce. Mix well to combine and set aside to let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
• If using whole yam: peel, then mince, grate, or cut into chunks then pulse with a food processor (you want small pieces rather than a paste for better texture).
  If using frozen cubed yam: mince, grate, or pulse with food processor.
• For culantro, cut to remove the thin white parts at the bottom, then slice crosswise into small strips/ribbons.
  For rice paddy herb, pick tender tips and leaves off the big main stem. Chop crosswise into 1cm lengths.
• Heat a large pot on medium and add oil.
• Add the remaining minced shallot and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds)
• 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.
• Add water and bring to boil.
  NOTE: If using riblets, you will need to then reduce heat to low and simmer the ribs for at least 20 minutes until tender before adding the yam.
• Add in the yam and bouillon, and stir well so that the yam combines with the broth. Skim off any foam that rise to the top.
• Cook the soup, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until any bits of yam are soft and creamy. Fresh yam will take longer to cook than frozen (about 15-20 minutes vs 10 minutes, respectively).
• Add more water if your soup is too thick. You will need to add more water for fresh vs frozen yam.
• Season to taste with fish sauce.
• Add in green onion greens and culantro/rice paddy herb (save a few pieces for garnish), mix, and turn off heat.
• Add to bowl, garnish with the reserved herbs and serve immediately!

Notes

• Purple yam: not to be confused with purple sweet potato. If buying fresh, the skin should be black and tough- almost like tree bark. Fresh purple yam tends to yield a thicker result, so if you’re using fresh, you only need around 500g for 4 servings, whereas you would need ~700g of frozen purple yam for 4 servings.

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