Vietnamese Spinach Soup- aka “Canh Mong Toi Tom” Recipe

A simple lunch for a busy day but it's also one of my favorite quick meals.  This simple Vietnamese soup aka "canh" in Vietnamese is full of umami with the addition of chopped fresh shrimp and fish sauce.   This simple soup and egg quiche was a frequent rotation for weekday dinners served with a hot bowl of jasmine rice.

The soup was made many ways with raw shrimp as the umami protein but was also sometimes subbed out with dried shrimp, pork (small rib bones or ground pork), or tofu.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 large raw shrimp (peeled, de-veined, chopped)

• 3 cups water

• 1 big bunch of spinach (or about 4-5 cups or so, this will wilt down significantly)

• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2-1 tsp fish sauce (*optional to taste)

• Black pepper

​PREPARATION

​1. Wash, drain spinach, chop in half if using larger spinach.

2. Wash, peel, devein, and chop your shrimp into small pieces.

3. Add water to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add in the shrimp, sugar, and salt and cover. Once you reach a boil, reduce the heat to a medium low and simmer for about 10-15 min until broth is fragrant.

4. Add in spinach and optional fish sauce to taste. Simmer for a minute or two until spinach completely wilts and cooks through.

5. Serve hot with a side of jasmine rice.