Chayote and minced shrimp is a classic combination in Vietnamese home cooking.
This Vietnamese light vegetable soup comes together fast and makes an easy side dish to serve with steamed rice. It’s delicious, simple, and a great way to use up and enjoy chayote during fall.
What You Will Need
To make Canh Su Su Nau Tom, gather the following ingredients:
- Chayote squash: Also known as mirliton or trái su su in Vietnamese, chayote is light green and shaped like a pear. It’s in season in late fall. They grow on vines and can get surprisingly big. I’ve seen some the size of a football. Homegrown chayote often has more spikes and may require gloves when handling. It also seems to have more latex/sap than the grocery store variety, which can be a little sticky. A good rinse will easily solve the problem. You can now find chayote at most grocery stores these days and not just Asian or Mexican markets. Both the peel and the pit are edible, but most people peel chayote. If the chayote is young and tender, you can simply cut right through the pit and cook it together with the flesh.
- Shrimp: A quick-cooking protein. If you prefer chayote soup with ground pork, click here. I add a small amount of baking soda to keep the shrimp tender since it can dry out quickly, but this is optional. Back in the day, shrimp was often minced into a fine paste to help stretch a small amount of protein, make it easier to eat, and speed up marinating. You can use whole shrimp if you prefer, but many Vietnamese vegetable soups still use minced shrimp because that’s the flavor and texture we grew up with.
- Shallot, garlic and whites of green onions: Our aromatics that make the soup smell amazing.
- Oil: I’m using lard in this recipe to bring some fat to the lean shrimp.
- Seasonings: Fish sauce, salt, chicken bouillon powder, and ground black pepper.
- Garnishes: The green part of green onions at the end for a vibrant color finish.
How to Make Canh Su Su
Step 1: Prepare shrimp
Add half of the seasonings and all of the baking soda to the minced shrimp. Mix until combined and set aside.
Step 2: Toast aromatics
Heat lard or oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add the shallot and sauté until fragrant (about 15 seconds).
Step 3: Add shrimp and chayote
Add the seasoned shrimp and garlic. Stir and break up the shrimp for about 20 seconds. Add chayote and mix lightly.
Add water and bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until chayote is fork tender. Skim off and discard the foam on top for a clearer broth. Chayote and shrimp will finish cooking at about the same time.
Step 4: Finish
Season soup with rest of remaining seasonings, a little at a time to taste. Garnish with remaining green part of green onions and serve.
Complete the Meal
This side dish goes with steamed rice in a typical family-style meal. To round it out, add one of these traditional Vietnamese braised dishes:
Vietnamese Chayote Squash Soup with Shrimp (Canh Su Su Nấu Tôm)
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A quick, light Vietnamese chayote and minced shrimp soup that comes together fast and pairs perfectly with steamed rice. Simple ingredients, clean flavor, and a great way to use chayote during fall.
Ingredients
- 10 oz shrimp (peel, devein and mince into paste)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (divided)
- 1 tablespoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder (divided)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
- 2 chayote (peel and slice into matchsticks or small cubes)
- 1 tablespoon lard or your choice of oil
- 2 green onions (slice thinly, whites and greens separated)
- 1 shallot (peel and mince)
- 3 garlic cloves (peel and mince)
- 1 1/2 quarts water
Instructions
- Prepare the shrimp: Add half of the fish sauce (1/2 tbsp), bouillon powder (1/2 tbsp), salt (1/2 tsp), ground black pepper, (1/4 tsp) and the white parts of the green onions to the minced shrimp. Add all the baking soda (1/4 tsp). Mix well and set aside.
- Toast aromatics: Heat oil (1 tbsp) in a medium pot over medium-high. Add the shallot and sauté until fragrant (about 15 seconds).
- Build the soup: Add the seasoned shrimp and garlic. Stir and break up the shrimp for about 20 seconds. Add chayote and mix lightly. Add water and bring the pot to a boil (this takes about 6 minutes) then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until chayote is fork tender (about 3 more minutes). Skim off and discard the foam on top for a clearer broth. Chayote and shrimp will finish cooking at about the same time.
- Finish: Season soup with rest of remaining seasonings (fish sauce, bouillon powder, salt, and ground black pepper), a little at a time to taste. Garnish with remaining green part of green onions and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
