Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Vietnamese Watercress and Ginger Broth (Canh Cresson)


One of the easiest Vietnamese soup recipes that I know of is this watercress and ginger broth.  It is served as an 'accompagnement' or side dish to a main meal.  The broth is usually added to rice to give it flavour and a different texture. It's a typical Vietnamese way of mixing different foods as we share our meals on the table.  This broth tastes amazingly good with the ginger.  It's also considered a great remedy for seasonal colds during the winter.

If you can't find any of Mama's homemade chicken soup, you can whip up this simple and soothing broth.   Zucchinis, spinach or any other leafy greens can be used instead of watercress.

Preparation time : 5 minutes, Cooking time : 15 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
1/2 lb pork loin or chicken breast
2 chunks of fresh ginger, cut about 2 inches
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup fresh watercress, washed (or zucchinis, spinach, leafy greens)
6 cups boiling water


In a large sauce pan cook the pork or chicken with the fish sauce, onion and ginger in the boiling water for about 20 minutes.


Discard meat, onion and ginger.  


Turn off the heat and throw in the watercress (or other green vegetables of your choice) and let it sit for about 2 minutes.


Serve hot as a soup, or as a side dish

Serves 4 people.

Share and enjoy!







2 comments:

Anne Hum said...

We make this at home.. minus the ginger, the kids do not like ginger... Watercress is so good for you, and perfect for winter!

QlinArt said...

It's a broth in almost every Asian households. Thx for the comment Anne!