It can be said that, no matter how innovative our cuisine becomes, the soup remains a constant presence on every dining table. On this occasion, let’s join the kitchen with TasteVN to immediately make these 3 incredibly delicious green banana soup recipes!
1. Green Banana Soup with Pork Ribs
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Green Banana Soup with Pork Ribs For 2 people
Pork ribs 400 gr Green bananas 2 fruits Tomatoes 1 fruit Shallots 4 bulbs Fried tofu 2 pieces (cut into small square pieces and fried) Perilla leaves A little Wild betel leaves A little Spring onions A little Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
How to choose fresh and delicious pork ribs
- Choose fresh pork ribs that have a light pink color, are elastic when pressed, and do not have a spoiled smell.
- When selecting ribs, you should choose those with small and flat bones because this type has more meat and less bone compared to large, round ribs. However, you should also avoid choosing ribs that are too small because small ribs are definitely taken from smaller pigs, which will not taste good and may not ensure quality (there are many cases where pigs do not meet standards but are still sold due to sickness).
- To make a delicious rib soup, you should choose ribs that have both lean meat and fat so that when eaten, they will be softer, fragrant, and richer.
What is fermented rice vinegar?
- Fermented rice vinegar is a common seasoning in the North, similar to fermented rice in the South and is naturally fermented from rice residue.
- Fermented from rice residue, it contains little alcohol, so fermented rice vinegar effectively eliminates the fishy smell of various seafood, poultry, etc. Therefore, it is used to prepare and cook meats to enhance the deliciousness of dishes.
- You can buy fermented rice vinegar at markets or stores that sell vinegar and liquor.
- If you don’t have fermented rice vinegar, you can also substitute it with fermented rice!
How to make Green Banana Soup with Pork Ribs
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Prepare green bananas
Wash the green bananas clean, you can remove the skin, peel off the outer layer, or leave the skin on as you prefer. Cut into pieces about 2 finger lengths.
Place a pot on the stove with half a liter of filtered water, wait for it to boil, then blanch the bananas briefly and remove them.
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Prepare the ribs
Place a pot on the stove, add a little water and bring it to a boil. Blanch the ribs in boiling water or boil them for about 3 minutes.
Then rinse them thoroughly with cold water, this way the ribs will not smell when cooked.
Next, simmer the ribs with 1.5 liters of filtered water for about 30 minutes until the ribs are tender, then remove them. You can also use an pressure cooker to cook the ribs faster.
Keep the broth from cooking the ribs to make the soup base.
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Sauté the ingredients
Wash the tomatoes, cut them into wedges of 6 or 8 pieces depending on the size of the tomato. Peel the shallots, wash them thoroughly, and slice them thinly.
Place a pot on the stove and heat it. Then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil until the oil is hot, then add the chopped shallots and fry until fragrant.
When the shallots are aromatic, add the tomatoes and green bananas, and stir-fry evenly until cooked.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder and stir well. Then add the softened ribs, and continue to stir-fry. Season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce to taste.
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Cooking the soup
After the mixture has absorbed the seasoning evenly, add the broth from the pork ribs and bring to a boil.
Next, add the fried tofu and simmer for 20 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of fermented vinegar.
Wash the perilla leaves and Vietnamese coriander, then cut into strips. Clean the green onions and cut them into small pieces. Add the perilla leaves, Vietnamese coriander, and green onions into the pot of soup and turn off the heat to finish.
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Final product
Serve the soup in a bowl, eat hot, the rich flavor of the pork ribs combined with the taste of green bananas creates an indescribable delicious flavor. Green banana soup with pork ribs is best enjoyed when it’s raining and the weather gets cold, it will be the number 1 dish to accompany.
2. Green banana soup with snakehead fish
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Green Banana Soup with Snakehead Fish Serves 3 people
Snakehead fish 700 gr Green bananas 4 pieces Bone broth 1 liter (1 bowl) Vietnamese balm leaves A little Perilla leaves A little Betel leaves A little Shallots 5 bulbs Turmeric powder 2 teaspoons Fermented rice 2 tablespoons Salt A little Cooking oil 7 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning A little (salt/sugar/seasoning powder/pepper)
How to Choose Fresh Snakehead Fish
- Good snakehead fish are those that are still alive, of moderate size, not too big or too small. The fish body is elongated, not too round, and feels firm when touched.
- If the fish is no longer alive or has been simply processed, you can observe the fish’s anus to determine if it is still fresh. Fresh fish have a small anus. If the snakehead fish’s anus is swollen, it indicates that the fish is about to spoil and may sometimes be treated with chemicals.
See details: How to Choose Fresh Snakehead Fish
What are Vietnamese balm leaves?
- Vietnamese balm (also known as Hoạt Lộc Thảo) is a wild-growing plant used as a spice, very good for health.
- Vietnamese balm leaves have a bitter, spicy, aromatic taste, and warm properties, effective in eliminating fishy odors and aiding digestion. They are used to mix with fish salad, meat salad, and are very good for allergies with fishy foods like eel, snails, and fish.
- You can find Vietnamese balm leaves at markets and stores. If not available, you can just use betel leaves and perilla leaves instead!
How to prepare Green Banana Soup with Snakehead Fish
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Prepare the Snakehead Fish
First, you need to scrape off the fish scales, and cleanly cut off the fins and tail of the fish.
Next, remove the innards from the belly of the fish along with the cloudy membrane inside. Note to remove the white sinew next to the fish’s belly to prevent the dish from having a fishy smell after cooking.
Then, thoroughly remove the gills and trim the head. Rub the snakehead fish with a little rock salt and then rinse it with clean water to remove the slimy layer on the fish and eliminate the odor.
Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces, about the size of two fingers.
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Marinate the Fish
After cutting the fish into pieces, you should make shallow cuts crosswise on the fish meat so that the fish absorbs the seasoning better.
Marinate the fish with 2 chopped shallots, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
Mix well and wait for about 15 minutes for the fish to absorb the seasoning evenly.
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Prepare green bananas
Prepare a bowl of clean water with a little salt dissolved in it.
Cut off the stem and the tip of the banana, you can peel it, remove part of the peel, or keep the green peel of the banana intact.
After peeling, soak the bananas in a basin of diluted salt water.
Tip: Using diluted saltwater to soak the bananas will help prevent them from turning black.
Slice the bananas into pieces about 1/3 of a finger length, continue soaking the bananas in salt water until cooking without removing them beforehand to prevent the bananas from turning black.
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Lightly fry the fish
Place a pan on the stove, wait for the pan to heat up, then add about 5 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 sliced shallot to sauté until fragrant.
Then, add the marinated snakehead fish to fry lightly until the fish turns slightly golden.
Tip: Frying the fish will help it firm up, making the fish tastier and preventing it from becoming fishy when cooking.
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Stir-fried green banana
Place a pot on the stove and heat it up. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat. Then add 2 shallots and sauté until fragrant.
Take the bananas out of the soaking water and add them for stir-frying.
Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Stir-fry the bananas for about 2 – 3 minutes until they are evenly cooked.
Add the prepared fermented rice water to the stir-fried bananas. Depending on your taste, you can adjust the sourness to your liking (as the fermented rice water has a distinctive sour taste).
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Cook the soup
After the bananas are cooked, add the pre-fried fish to cook. Stir gently.
Add the prepared bone broth (you can use plain water, but using bone broth will make the dish richer and sweeter), covering the bananas and fish.
Cook over medium heat until the bananas are soft.
Season to taste and add the chopped pork ribs leaves, shiso leaves, and wild betel leaves, then turn off the heat.
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Final product
The flavor of snakehead fish, combined with the rich creaminess of ripe bananas cooked until soft, blends harmoniously with the sweet and delicious broth and various herbs, creating an “irresistible” attraction for the green banana soup cooked with snakehead fish.
This is a unique dish but extremely easy to cook; you can try it to enhance the variety of your family meals!
3. Green banana soup with shrimp
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Preparation
25 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Green banana soup with shrimp Serves 3
Shrimp 150 gr Green bananas 5 fruits Wild betel leaves 50 gr Minced shallots 3 teaspoons Minced garlic 3 teaspoons Bird’s eye chili 1 fruit Annatto oil 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (Seasoning/ Salt/ Sugar/ Ground pepper)
How to choose fresh and delicious shrimp
- Fresh shrimp will have a translucent shell, whereas those with dark or uneven shells are shrimp that have died and are no longer tasty.
- When picked up, fresh shrimp feel firm and strong, can bounce away easily, have flexible shell joints, and the head and body of the shrimp are tightly connected, not separated.
- You can also recognize fresh shrimp by looking at the tail, which should be curled together, but if the tail is spread out, the shrimp may have been injected with chemicals or water to make them plumper.
- If you touch them and feel slimy, if the body is bent and round, if the shrimp legs are no longer firmly attached to the body, or if you press on the shrimp shell and it feels soft and mushy, you should absolutely not buy them.
How to prepare Green Banana Soup with Shrimp
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Prepare and marinate the shrimp
First, rinse the shrimp with water, then use scissors to cut off the head. Next, take a sharp knife or scissors and make a vertical cut along the back of the shrimp, then peel off the shell and tail. Continue to use the knife to make a light incision on the back of the shrimp and pull out the black vein, then place the shrimp in a bowl.
In the same bowl, proceed to marinate the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of annatto oil, 2 teaspoons of minced shallots, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, and 1 sliced chili, mixing well to allow the shrimp to absorb the spices for 15 minutes.
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Processing green bananas
For green bananas, remove the ends and peel the skin, then cut into bite-sized pieces, wash thoroughly, and drain.
Tip: To prevent green bananas from turning dark and to reduce bitterness, you should soak the bananas in a mixture of a little lemon and salt for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then, rinse with clean water.
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Cooking soup
Place a pot on the stove with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of shallots, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, sautéing until fragrant over medium heat.
Next, add all the marinated shrimp and stir-fry briefly for about 3 – 5 minutes until the shrimp firm up. Then, add 3 liters of water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, stirring gently, and cook for 15 – 20 minutes.
When the water boils, add 5 green bananas that have been cut and cook for an additional 7 – 10 minutes. Finally, season to taste, adding 50g of cleaned and shredded wild betel leaves, then turn off the heat and serve in a bowl.
Tip: To enhance the flavor of the soup, you can add a little diluted shrimp paste, but be careful to add it when the soup is not boiling yet!
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Finished Dish
So, the hot and delicious green banana soup with shrimp is ready! From the very first glance, the eye-catching colors and the faint aroma make it impossible for us to ignore.
The broth is rich in spices, combined with fresh and firm shrimp, along with a slight bitterness from the green bananas. Adding a bowl of white rice makes it absolutely perfect!
How to Choose Good Green Bananas
- To make the dish tastier, you should not choose ripe bananas or overly immature bananas, but opt for ripe green bananas.
- Choose a bunch of bananas that are dark green, with plump and evenly curved fruits; if there are a few spots turning slightly yellow, that’s even better, as these are fresh bananas that have not been treated with chemicals.
Finally, the article has provided 3 ways to cook green banana soup that are delicious and rich in spices, making it irresistible for everyone to enjoy those dishes. Give it a try right away!
* Refer to the images and recipes from the YouTube channel: Feedy Delicious Food, Vietnamese Soul Food, and Quang Southwestern Vlog.
