Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Canh Xà Lách Son (Vietnamese Watercress Soup)

I really love canh. What is canh? It's the Vietnamese term for soup. Most Vietnamese meals never go without any canh. It accompanies rice and the main dishes. You can have canh as a side, or I sometimes scoop some canh into my bowl of rice. What's great about canh is that it's actually quite simple to make. It's usually a basic soup and so doesn't require many ingredients. One can make a canh with only a vegetable, a protein, some salt and water. It's a great way to try and taste new vegetables!

It's common to make canh out of greens and one canh that my mom makes is canh xà lách son, xà lách son being watercress. I like watercress in its raw form in salads, but it's pretty tasty cooked too. Try it out!

Watercress Soup

Canh Xà Lách Son (Vietnamese Watercress Soup)
This soup can be made in under 15 minutes.

* oil
* 1 Tbsp very finely diced onion
* 1-2 Tbsp ground pork
* salt and pepper, to taste
* watercress, washed and cut in 3" sections (I just use scissors)
* 2 cups water

In a small pot, heat up oil.
Add onion and pork.
Season with salt and pepper.
Once the pork is cooked through, add 2 cups of water
Add the watercress.
Bring the water to a boil.
Turn off.
Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
Tada!

Ground Pork Watercress
Ground pork and watercress.


Watercress Soup
Canh xà lách son - Vietnamese watercress soup.

Other canh recipes:
* Canh Khổ Qua (Bitter Melon Soup)
* Canh Hến (Baby Clam Soup)

1 comment:

ralph said...

Yum, gonna try this! A little nuoc mon at the end wouldn't hurt...thanks!