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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Water lily leaf soup with dried shrimp is a rustic yet nutritious dish from the Vietnamese countryside. Let’s go to the kitchen with TasteVN to cook this simple and delicious soup dish right away!
Ingredients for Water Lily Leaf Soup with Dried Shrimp For 3 people
Water lily leaves 200 gr Dried shrimp 2 tablespoons Shallots 2 bulbs (sliced) Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Common seasoning a little (pepper/ salt/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder)
What is plantain?
Plantain is a type of folk medicinal herb that grows in gardens. It has many health benefits when combined with various foods. Although plantain soup has a slightly bitter taste, it pairs well with rice and stimulates appetite, helping with diuresis.
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh plantain
- Choose plants that are still fresh and green, not rotten or crushed.
- The leaves should be intact, free from pests, and without black spots.
How to choose good dried shrimp
- Good dried shrimp are usually sun-dried shrimp, which have a natural pinkish-red color like brick glaze, firm flesh, and no strong odor.
- Avoid buying shrimp that are pale or dark red as they may not be natural shrimp or may be artificially dyed, which can be very toxic to the body.
- In addition to choosing pre-made dried shrimp, you can also process and make dried shrimp at home to ensure freshness and hygiene following the instructions from TasteVN below:
See details:
How to make Plantain soup with dried shrimp
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Soak the dried shrimp
Rinse the dried shrimp with cold water, then soak in warm water for about 15 – 20 minutes to soften the shrimp.
After that, remove the shrimp, chop finely or pound in a mortar, then transfer to a bowl.
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Prepare plantain leaves
Remove old and damaged leaves from the plantain, then soak and wash with diluted salt water for about 5 – 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly with water 2 – 3 times.
After taking the leaves out to drain, cut them into bite-sized pieces, about the length of a finger joint.
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Cook the soup
Place a pot on the stove with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add thinly sliced shallots and sauté until fragrant for about 1 minute. Then add the dried shrimp and stir-fry for about 3 more minutes, then pour in about 1 bowl of boiling water (500ml) and simmer over medium heat.
When the water boils, open the pot lid. Season with 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Stir well.
Wait for the mixture to boil again, then add the plantain leaves and cook for about 5 – 7 minutes. Since the plantain leaves are somewhat tough, they need to be cooked until soft.
Finally, just adjust the seasoning to taste, turn off the heat. Add 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate and a little pepper, then serve the soup in a bowl and it’s done.
Tip: To prevent the plantain leaves from discoloring, you should press the leaves down into the boiling water when adding them to the pot and stir evenly. Do not let the leaves float on the surface of the water.
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Final Product
So we have completed the delicious and refreshing soup of water spinach with dried shrimp for this summer. The cooked soup retains its eye-catching green color, the vegetables are soft without being chewy, along with the light sweetness of dried shrimp. A rustic soup that pairs well with rice for these hot days!
With just a few simple steps, the soup of water spinach with dried shrimp is ready for the whole family to enjoy. Wish you success with this recipe!
