Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Vietnamese Canh Bi Do Shrimp Soup
越式南瓜蝦湯
Recipe overview
This Vietnamese pumpkin soup gently simmers the squash in clear stock, uses some chopped shrimp for savoury sweetness, and adds the remaining shrimp last so it stays tender.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 500 g Pumpkin
- 300 g Peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 L Unsalted clear chicken stock
- 15 g Ginger
- 2 Spring onions
- 15 g Coriander
Shrimp seasoning
- 1 tsp Fish sauce
- 1/8 tsp White pepper
Soup seasoning
- 2 tsp Fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- as needed, up to 1/4 tsp Salt
02
Tools
- Lidded soup pot
- Knife and two chopping boards
- Ladle
- Probe thermometer
- Clean soup bowls
03
Steps
Step 1
Separate the preparation
Wash your hands and set out two boards, one for pumpkin and herbs and another for raw shrimp, so shrimp juices never touch ready-to-eat herbs.
Step 2
Cut the pumpkin
Peel and seed the pumpkin, then cut it into even 2 cm cubes so all the pieces soften at the same time.
Step 3
Prepare the shrimp
Check that every shrimp is peeled and deveined, pat dry, roughly chop one third, and cut the remainder into small, easy-to-eat pieces.
Step 4
Season the shrimp briefly
Keep chopped shrimp and shrimp pieces in separate bowls, mix each with half the fish sauce and pepper, then refrigerate for 5 minutes.
Step 5
Cut the aromatics
Thinly slice ginger, separate and finely slice the white and green spring-onion parts, and chop coriander; reserve the greens and coriander.
Step 6
Start the clear broth
Put stock, ginger and spring-onion whites in the covered soup pot, bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, and keep the bubbles small.
Step 7
Simmer the pumpkin
Add pumpkin, return the broth to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 12 minutes, stirring once to prevent sticking.
Step 8
Check the pumpkin
Press one cube with a spoon; it should crush easily. If firm, cook for 2 more minutes at a time and check again without boiling hard.
Step 9
Add chopped shrimp
Drop the roughly chopped shrimp into the gently simmering broth, stir at once to separate it, and cook for about 1 minute to flavour the soup.
Step 10
Cook the shrimp pieces last
Add the remaining shrimp and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes; the thickest piece must reach 63°C and be fully opaque, then stop heating.
Step 11
Adjust the broth
Taste with a clean spoon, add the soup fish sauce and sugar, and add salt little by little only if needed so the pumpkin sweetness remains clear.
Step 12
Finish and ladle
Remove from the heat, stir in coriander and spring-onion greens, rest for 1 minute, check for shell fragments, and ladle into clean bowls.
Common mistakes
- Uneven pumpkin cubes leave small pieces mushy while large pieces remain firm.
- Adding all the shrimp with the pumpkin makes it overcook before the pumpkin softens.
- Boiling hard toughens the shrimp and makes the clear broth cloudy.
- Judging shrimp only by colour instead of checking 63°C at the thickest piece is unreliable.
Tips
For older diners, cook the pumpkin until it crushes with a spoon, cut shrimp into small bites and carefully check for shell fragments. For a slightly smoother texture, mash a little pumpkin before adding shrimp while keeping the dish a clear, drinkable soup.
