Canh Cải Thảo Tôm Khô
Canh Cải Thảo Tôm Khô·(kahn ky thow tohm koh)
Bữa Cơm Gia Đình: The Weeknight Table
Snap the Napa cabbage leaves, drop a handful of dried shrimp into a bowl of warm water, and wait for the rice cooker to click. The soup isn't a heavy, standalone affair—it is a light, savory palate cleanser meant to be spooned directly over rice to wash down the intense, salty flavors of a caramelized braise. The secret to the broth lies entirely in how you treat the dried shrimp. By rehydrating them, giving them a quick pound in a mortar, and sautéing them in oil before adding water, you physically break down the fibers, yielding a restorative broth without a single drop of boxed stock. Ladle the pale broth and eat.
Ingredients
- dried salted shrimp1/3 cup
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- shallot1 large
- water5 cup
- Napa cabbage12 oz
- fish sauce1 tbsp
- chicken or mushroom bouillon powder1 tsp
- sugar1/2 tsp
- fine sea salt1/4 tsp
- scallions2 med
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Rehydrate and pound the dried shrimp to release their natural sweetness.
Place the dried shrimp in a small bowl with warm water and soak for 10 to 15 minutes to soften. Drain, transfer to a mortar and pestle, and lightly pound until flattened and the fibers are visibly frayed (if you lack a mortar, simply smash them on a cutting board with the flat side of a heavy chef's knife).
- 02
Sauté the shallot and pounded shrimp to develop a toasted, deeply savory foundation.
Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced shallot and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the pounded shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly toasted and incredibly aromatic.
- 03
Boil the water to quickly extract the shrimp's umami into a clear broth.
Pour the water into the pot, turn the heat to high, and bring to a rolling boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and let it cook for exactly 5 minutes.
- 04
Cook the cabbage in two stages to preserve its delicate crunch, then season.
Drop the thicker, white cabbage stalks into the simmering broth first and cook for 1 minute before adding the leafy green tops. Stir in the fish sauce, bouillon powder, sugar, and salt, cooking for 2 more minutes until the cabbage is translucent but still crisp.
- 05
Remove from the heat immediately to prevent overcooking and garnish generously.
Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if necessary—it should taste light, sweet, and intensely savory. Ladle the soup into a large communal serving bowl, top with the chopped scallions and a heavy pinch of black pepper, and serve immediately alongside steamed rice.
Notes
Pantry flexibility is the reality of modern weeknight cooking.
If dried shrimp is entirely inaccessible, a surprisingly authentic substitution used by Vietnamese home cooks in a pinch is fresh shrimp. Finely mince about a half cup of raw shrimp, or use a handful of ground pork, and sauté them with the shallots exactly as written to anchor the broth.