All posts filed under: Soup

Phở Chay / Vegetarian Phở Noodle Soup

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Everyone loves phở but if you are a vegetarian, you are missing out on a national treasure. Buddhist temples have been making vegetarian phở for a long time. This is a fruit based broth with phở seasoning that has a remarkable resemblance to the beef version. Vegetarian phở is also much quicker and easier to make for those days where standing over a bubbling pot for hours is not on the schedule. Enjoy this healthy and delicious phở anytime of the day. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 1.5 hours to make. Ingredients: 1 large carrot 1 daikon 1 asian pear 1 casava 1 bartlett pear (American) 1 fuji apple 1 yellow onion 1 chayote 1 leek Vegetarian soup base (can be found in Asian markets) 1 package of pho dac biet seasoning 1 package of fresh pho noodles (flat vermicelli) / Dry pho noodles if the fresh version is not available 1 tablespoon of rock sugar Soy sauce Sugar Sea Salt Ground pepper Assortment of mock beef and ham or tofu depending …

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Stew / Cà Ri Gà

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Whenever there is a large family gathering, my mom will make a giant pot of her famous cà ri gà or chicken curry stew. It is a very simple dish to make and a favorite meal for all my cousins. Vietnamese curry is more like a soup than the Indian and Japanese versions. The stew is hearty and aromatic. The taste is surprising mild due to the coconut cream, and the sweetness of the broth makes this stew addicting. You can eat the chicken curry stew  with toasted bread or with rice vermicelli noodles. This recipe serves approximately 4 people and takes approximately 1 hour to prepare. Ingredients: 4 Golden Yukon potatoes 2 large carrots 1 large yellow onion 3 stalks of celery 3 stalks of scallion 2 large chicken legs (approx. 2 lb) 2 (14 oz.) cans of low sodium chicken broth 1 (13.5 oz.)can of coconut cream 8 oz. jar of Madras curry paste 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder (CBP) Salt Sugar Ground pepper Directions: Prepare the vegetables as follows: …

Spicy Beef Saté Noodle Soup

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Spicy beef saté noodle soup is a cross between phở and bún bò huế. It is not as well known as the two, but requires the same bone based broth. Spicy beef saté noodle soup uses pork neck bones and a surprising ingredient of chunky peanut butter. The spiciness comes from the chili oil where you can modify the heat according to your tolerance. This is a delightfully complex yet simple noodle soup that will have you sweating and enjoying the broth at the same time. This soup is especially good on a cold day. This recipe is rated medium and requires approximately 2 hours to make. This recipe serves approximately 6 bowls of noodle soups. Ingredients 2 lb. of pork neck bones 1.5 lb. of beef (eye round or top round) 1 package of pho of flat rice noodles (fresh if available) 3 tablespoons of fish sauce ¼ cup ground chili in soya bean oil (There are many different brands that have different level of heat.) ½ cup of dried shrimps 3 dried squids …

Herbal Black Chicken Soup / Gà Hầm Thuốc Bắc

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Herbal black chicken soup is the equivalent of a very healthy Vietnamese chicken soup. This particular soup is made with black chicken or a breed called silkie. Silkies have black skin, bones and grayish-black meat which are tougher than the typical chicken. Silkie’s meat creates a sweeter broth and is the basis of this soup. This is my mom’s quick version of the herbal soup and a great way to beat the winter blues. Ingredients 2 lb of black chicken 5 large slices of ginger 2 ½ tablespoons of diced onion ¼ teaspoon of Chicken Bouillon Powder (CBP) ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil 1 tablespoon of olive oil ½ cup of dried jujube or chinese red plums ½ cup of dried lotus seeds 1 teaspoon of soy sauce 1 can of 14.5 oz of unsalted chicken broth 3 cups of water ¼ teaspoon of sea salt ½ teaspoon of sugar ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper Directions Cut the chicken into smaller parts. Soak ½ cup of jujubes and ½ cup of lotus seeds with 1 cup of water …

Bún Riêu / Crab Vermicelli Soup

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Bún riêu is a very popular noodle dish in Vietnam for its simplicity and deliciousness. This is a tomato based vermicelli noodle soup that has three popular variations: crab, fish or snails. Bún riêu cua is probably the most well known version made with rice paddy crabs. These are small crabs found in rice paddy fields and would then be cleaned and pounded into a paste. This crab paste and tomatoes are the essential ingredients for the broth. The soup is easy to make and is a great way to serve a lot of people at one time. This recipe is rated medium in difficulty and makes approximately 6 bowls of noodle soup. Ingredients 1 can of minced crab in spices 1 can of minced prawns in spices 1 lb of ground pork ½ lb of shrimp (approximately 9-10 shrimps) ¼ cup of rouc (fine shrimp sauce) ¾ cup of ketchup 1 package of fried tofu 2 tablespoons of fish sauce or nouc mam ⅓ cup of vegetable oil ½ of a yellow onion (optional) 2 tomatoes 1 …

Pumpkin and Ribs Soup

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With the holiday approaching and the winter chill setting in, soup becomes a favorite for the winter. In the US, we have an abundance of pumpkin around the autumn time and into the winter months. Naturally, we merged pumpkin and traditional ribs soup into our version of a light yet filling meal. This soup can be eaten by itself or with toasted bread or rice. This recipe is rated easy. Ingredients ½ a block of soft tofu ½ lb. of pork ribs 2 ½ cups of pumpkin cube 2 tablespoons of chopped onion ½ tablespoon fish sauce Chicken bouillon powder (½ teaspoon for marinade and ¼ teaspoon for soup) Salt Sugar Ground pepper 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (“EVOO”) 2 stalks of scallion and cilantro for garnish Directions Cut the short ribs strip into smaller pieces of approximately 2 inches. Marinate the meat with ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of diced onions, ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper and ½ teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder. Cut the pumpkin into …

Crab and Asparagus Soup / Súp Măng Cua

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Súp Măng Cua or Crab and Asparagus Soup is a traditional bisque usually served at dinner parties or wedding banquets. It is an easy soup to make that looks very classy once you get the hang of it. This is the go-to soup whenever my mom needs to make it for any parties. Guests rush to get a bowl before the pot is gone. I use real lump crab meat which makes a huge difference in this recipe. Many recipes use fake crab meat or canned crab meat, which is still good, but nothing tastes better than fresh crab meat. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 30-35 minutes to prepare. Ingredients 2 cups of fresh lump crab meat (frozen section or from a can if fresh crab meat is not available). I bought mine at Costco.  ½ of a whole chicken (rinsed so there are no impurities) 1 can of asparagus spears 3 eggs 4 cloves of minced garlic ½ of an onion 1 whole shallots, minced ½ teaspoon of sesame oil 8 tablespoons of tapioca starch …

Shrimp and Daikon Radish Soup

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In my family, a typical dinner often includes some sort of vegetable soup. Vietnamese cuisine veers toward numerous vegetable and herbs.  Soup broths are typically made of bones, meat, seafood or vegetables.  The bones based broths are for the long simmered noodles soups such as pho, hu tieu, and bun.  The meat, seafood or vegetables are typically the basis for everyday home cooking.  My mom would make this shrimp and daikon radish soup very quickly. We would have a nutritious and healthy dinner in no time.  You can use this shrimp based broth with different types of vegetables. Ingredients: ½ lb of shrimp 1 large daikon radish 1-2 stalk of scallion 1 teaspoon of fish sauce 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder ½ teaspoon of sugar ⅛ teaspoon of salt ⅛ teaspoon of pepper ¼ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced ½ teaspoon of chili powder (I use the Korean version as the chili is sweeter and the heat is not as intense as others.  The goal is to add color and depth to the soup.) Directions: Remove the …

Canh Chua (Countryside Sweet and Sour Soup)

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In last week’s Eat post, we made ca kho to or catfish braised in a clay pot.  This week we will explore a companion dish called canh chua ca.  This is a wonderful complex, yet simple soup.  Vietnamese soup is a meal in itself and is usually eaten with rice and shared family style.  This soup is traditionally made with the head and tail of a catfish or whatever fish that the family is eating that day.  You can substitute the protein with shrimp, salmon or any other type of fish or seafood that you would like to eat. There are two ingredients (bạc hà and rau om) that may be hard to find if there is not an Asian supermarket nearby or if it’s out of season.  Bạc hà is the porous stem of a type of taro plant’s leaves with a sponge like texture when cooked.  You can usually find it shrink wrapped in a styrofoam tray at your asian supermarket in the summer.  Due to bạc hà’s porous stem, the stem soaks …