Vietnamese Eggplant and Tomato Perilla Soup- “Canh Ca Bung” Recipe

Up your SQUID GAME!

I had a bunch of tomatoes, perilla, garlic left from my CSA so I used it all up in this fragrant Vietnamese soup.

This dish is perfect for the fall season because of its stew-like soupiness! The fragrance of soft aromatic perilla imparts a warm lemon and mint fragrance to the broth and air. Pork belly or pork bones are seasoned with curry powder and turmeric which adds that beautiful orange glow around the soups edge and gives it that sweet and savory taste.

There’s a couple things I can’t live without.

1. Fish sauce- use Squid brand for cooking. Save the more expensive stuff for dipping sauces.

2. A quality garlic press! Saves so much time from peeling and mincing.

Gourmet Easy Online: One of my favorite kitchen tool is a good garlic press. Gourment Easy Online has some great kitchen ware including kitchen hammers, peelers and knives.

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• Tamarind will bring out a little sour flavor to the soup, I didn’t have it so I subbed with a little vinegar, which the sour tang balances out with the soup’s salty and sweet taste.

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4lb pork belly or few sliced pork ribs (about 1 1/2” rib sections x 1”)

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper

Shallot minced (about 1 tbs)

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp curry

2 tbs neutral oil- YouYou

2 garlic clove minced, or use garlic press

1/2 shallot minced (about 3 tbs)

1 long Japanese eggplant (cut in smaller pieces)

2 medium tomatoes (washed and cut into quarter wedges)

1/2 block tofu (cut/shallow fried in a vegetable oil, I used YouYou tea seed oil)

1 tsp salt

Tamarind Water:

Dissolve ½ tsp of tamarind paste with 2 tablespoons water (or use 1 1/2 tbs vinegar)

1/2 tsp sugar

1 fried tofu block (cut into smaller pieces)

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Fish sauce to taste

GARNISH

Perilla leaves (sliced thin strips)

Scallions (chopped thinly)

PREPARATION

1. Cut pork belly into thin slices or cut your ribs into individual small ribs. Blanch pork in boiling water for a couple minutes to release any impurities. Lightly brush off any residue or impurities from pork and dump out water. Strain and pat dry pork belly and set aside in a bowl.

2. Rinse, cut and soak eggplants in a little salted water to help prevent blackening of the eggplant when cooking.

3. Season the pork with all marinade ingredients and set aside at room temp for 15 mins.

4. Shallow fry your tofu in a cast iron skillet (2-3 cups of oil), drain and set tofu aside on a paper towel lined dish. Discard oil from pan.

5. Heat up 1 tbsp oil to a heated cast iron skillet and add minced garlic and shallots and fry until fragrant (do not let it brien). Add the pork and stir-fry until browned (about mins).

6. Then add the strained eggplants over medium heat, add 1 cup water to the meat marinade bowl to loosen up any remaining marinade and pour into soup, (simmer for 5-10min) then add tomatoes & tofu, tamarind water (or vinegar) which adds the tang to the soup, salt, sugar and let simmer with lid on for 10 min or until tomatoes are cooked through (you don’t want them to completely turn into mush so watch it carefully). Add a little water if needed to barely cover your meat/tofu/tomato surface.

7. Taste and add some fish sauce, salt or sugar to taste. Uncover and let soup cook down for a couple minutes.

8. Add perilla strips & spring onions into the soup, simmer for 1 min and remove from heat.

9. Transfer to bowl and add black pepper, scallions and reserved perilla leave strips.