If you want Canh, Vietnamese Soup, but don’t have any local Asian grocery stores near you, no problem! Use whatever hearty leafy greens at your local grocery store, like kale, spinach, or bok choy, and it should work great!
I needed to take the kids to Target after I picked them up from school and was craving comforting canh so I picked up a bag of prewashed chopped Kale and used it for canh. The sturdy leafy greens taste good and actually hold up pretty well. We like it!
I was also today years old when I learned that Kale in Vietnamese is Cải Xoăn.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground shrimp
1 pound kale, chopped
4 cups low sodium broth
6 cups water
1 shallot
1 piece of ginger
Shrimp shells (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
2 green onions, finely chopped
Fried shallots, optional
Ground Shrimp Ingredients:
1 pound ground shrimp
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Steps:
Ground shrimp – Aggressively chop shrimp and white part of green onions finely with a cleaver or a large chef knife on a cutting board until the shrimp turns into a sticky paste. Add fish sauce, black pepper, sugar, and corn starch to the shrimp paste and mix well. Set aside.
Make Canh– In a medium stockpot, bring broth, water, shallot, ginger, and shrimp shells (if using) to a boil on the stovetop. Simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth and bring it back to a boil. Shape and scoop the shrimp paste (about 1-2 teaspoons) into a ball and slowly drop it into the canh. Add chopped kale and mix well. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the kale is tender. Add chopped green onions, and adjust the seasoning of the canh to taste.
Tips:
- Any leafy greens will be perfect with this canh recipe.
- Always adjust seasonings to taste.
- If you don’t have time to enhance the broth, simply use whatever broth you like to speed up the process.
No Limit Cooking 
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