Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Minced Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nau Tom Bam)

Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Minced Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nau Tom Bam)

It’s chayote season! Lots and lots of chayotes ready for harvest!

Chayote, also known as a mirliton squash or trai su su in Vietnamese, looks like a green pear on steroids. They grow on veins and can get very big. I’ve seen some the size of a football! Great for food and an assault weapon.

You can find chayote squash just about anywhere these days. No longer are you restricted to an Asian or Mexican grocery store.

Here is a traditional Vietnamese soup recipe using chayote and minced shrimp (canh su su nau tom bam). In this recipe, the shrimp is minced for two purposes. One: It stretches a small amount of shrimp to feed a family of four. Those suckers aren’t cheap. Two: minced shrimp allows you to marinate it quickly and cook it quickly. This prevents shrimp from overcooking. Overcooked shrimp is dry, chewy and simply not good.

To further make the shrimp tender, I marinate it with a bit of baking soda. This is a great cooking hack I learned from a restaurant cook. A bit of baking soda added to the minced shrimp makes it super moist and tender. This hack works for other protein too (pork, beef and chicken).

I also add the shrimp to the soup at the very end of cooking. My mom would put shrimp in the pot at the start of cooking. She never understood why her shrimp was so rubbery and inedible.

Serve this traditional soup with steamed rice and other side dishes for a complete Vietnamese family meal.

Related Post: The Guide to Cooking Perfectly Steamed Rice: Asian Kid Edition

Recipe below. Happy cooking!

Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Minced Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nau Tom Bam)

Other Soups You May Enjoy

Vietnamese Pork Spare Rib Soup with Opo Squash
Chicken Soup with Baby Spinach
Pig Feet Soup with Potatoes and Carrots
Pompano Fish and Sour Bamboo Soup

Popular Dishes to Complete the Meal

Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs
Easy Chinese-Style Soy Sauce Braised Pork Ribs
Grilled Salt & Chili Shrimp
Vietnamese Sauteed Prawns in Roe Sauce

Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Minced Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nau Tom Bam)

Serves 5-7

Ingredients

• 2 large chayote squash (1-1/2 lbs, peel, core and slice into thick match sticks)
• 10 oz shrimp (peel, devein and mince)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons chicken or mushroom bouillon stock powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 scallions/green onions (slice thinly; separate whites and greens)
• 1 shallot (peel and mince)
• 3 garlic cloves (peel and mince)
• 2 quarts water

Instructions

1. In a bowl, marinate shrimp with fish sauce, chicken/mushroom bouillon stock powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, ground black pepper and the green part of green onions/scallions for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium-size stock pot, add oil and heat on high. Add shallot and garlic. Saute until fragrant and lightly brown (30 seconds). Add water (be careful of oil splatter) and chayote. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until chayote is fork tender (6-8 minutes).
3. Scoop minced shrimp a tablespoon at a time and drop them into the pot like dumplings. Make sure to get all the marinade into the pot. When shrimp floats to the top, turn off heat. Soup is ready.

Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Minced Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nau Tom Bam)