Description
A comforting Vietnamese mustard green soup featuring flavorful shrimp balls simmered in a savory broth, perfect as a light, healthy meal or served alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Ingredients
Scale
Shrimp Balls
- 1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Soup
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bunch mustard greens (washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola or avocado)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Shrimp Paste: Finely chop or pulse the shrimp in a food processor until it forms a coarse paste. In a bowl, combine the shrimp paste with chopped scallions, fish sauce, white pepper, and sugar. Mix well and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes to firm up.
- Sauté Garlic: Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add Broth: Pour in the broth and bring it to a simmer.
- Form and Cook Shrimp Balls: Remove shrimp mixture from the fridge. Form into small balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Gently drop the shrimp balls into the simmering broth and cook for 3–4 minutes until they float and are fully cooked.
- Add Mustard Greens: Add the chopped mustard greens and simmer for another 2–3 minutes until just wilted but still bright green.
- Season and Serve: Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice or enjoy on its own as a light soup.
Notes
- Mustard greens can be substituted with bok choy or spinach if unavailable.
- For extra umami, add a dash of fish sauce or a few slices of ginger to the broth.
- This soup is traditionally served alongside rice as part of a Vietnamese family meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
