Light, refreshing, and flavorful, this wholesome Vietnamese soup made with tofu, ground pork, and chives is sure to satisfy! In this recipe, I’ll teach you my tips and tricks for making the best bowl of Vietnamese tofu and chives soup at home.
Healthy and Easy Vietnamese Soup
What I love about this soup is how easy it is to put together while still being very flavorful and healthy. You only need a handful of easy to find ingredients and a little time to make this soup, and it’s always a refreshing and comforting treat.
The name Canh Hẹ đậu Hũ Thịt Bằm translates to “Chives soup with tofu and meat”. But you can also have Canh Hẹ đậu Hũ without meat. If you’re looking for a soup that’s light and healthy but won’t take a lot of time to make, I highly recommend giving this quick and easy Vietnamese dish a try.
The Ideal Fresh Chives Recipe
Garlic chives have a wonderful flavor: mildly sweet with notes of savory garlic and onion. These flavors combine beautifully with the other aromatics in the dish as well as the pork and tofu.
If you happen to have chives, soup is one of the best things you can make with them. Fresh chives are quite delicate and their flavor generally doesn’t hold up well in more aggressive cooking methods. The gentle boiling in this recipe is perfect for bringing out their unique flavor.
For this recipe, I’m using chives fresh from my mom’s garden. Home-grown chives are amazing. They’re flavorful, sweet, and not that difficult to grow at all! In fact, chives will typically grow back after you cut them so I highly recommend planting a few in your home to have a never-ending supply of this wonderful allium.
Store-bought chives, while also delicious, may not be as sweet as the kind I used for this recipe, so don’t forget to taste and season accordingly.
What Tofu to Use?
You can choose between silken, regular, or firm tofu for this dish. I personally like to use firm tofu; I love the texture and how well it absorbs the flavors from the soup. Some people also like to use silken tofu for its delicate and soft texture that contrasts with the ground pork. Go with whatever suits your taste the most!
Mushroom Seasoning for Umami
Though it’s usually made with chicken stock, the secret to the deep, savory flavor of my version of Canh Hẹ đậu Hũ is the mushroom seasoning. Many Vietnamese home cooks use mushroom seasoning in place of MSG or other flavor enhancers and you can easily find it online or at the Asian market. I use it in a lot of recipes (like in my Loco Moco) because it adds so much umami to both meaty and vegan dishes. If you’re going to buy mushroom seasoning, be sure to read the ingredients because some brands add MSG.
If you can’t find mushroom seasoning, you can also use chicken powder or stock – but try to avoid brands that use unnecessary additives. Wholesome ingredients will help you retain the clean taste of the soup that makes it so refreshing and satisfying!
Easy and Wholesome Vietnamese Tofu and Chives Soup | Canh Hẹ Đậu Hũ Thịt Bằm Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. Ground Pork
- 1 tbsp Mushroom Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Fish Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp Oil
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 Shallots – Sliced
- 8 cups Water
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 Package of Tofu – soft or firm depending on your preference
- 1 bunch Garlic Chive
Instructions
- Add mushroom seasoning, coarse salt, sugar, black pepper and fish sauce to the ground pork. Mix thoroughly.
- Set meat aside to marinade for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the chives into 1.5-2 inches in length. Set aside.
- Cut the tofu into small cubes.
- Once meat has marinated, let’s start making the soup by sautéing the shallots of a few minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook a few more minutes.
- Add ground pork; break it up and brown it on all sides. You don’t have to cook it all the way through at this time as it will cook some more after water has been added.
- Once meat has nicely browned, add 8 cups of water. Scrap of all the bits and pieces of the bottom of the pot.
- Season the broth with fish sauce and sugar.
- Add chives and tofu.
- Let it come to a light boil and it is ready to be served!