Bau soup with shrimp is a rustic, familiar dish of the people in the Mekong Delta, highlighted by the perfect combination of the natural sweetness of the gourd and the richness of fresh shrimp.
Preparation materials
1 medium-sized gourd, choose a fruit that is firm to hold, light green skin to avoid spoilage and soft seeds.
Fresh shrimp: 150g (should choose small silver shrimp, the meat will be sweeter and more fragrant).
Shallots, scallions, coriander.
Cooking oil, fish sauce, salt, seasoning granules, ground pepper.
Implementation steps
Step 1: Pre-processing shrimp
Wash the bought shrimp with diluted salt water to remove the fishy smell, cut off the long beard and drain. Then marinate the shrimp with half of the chopped shallots, a little seasoning, fish sauce and pepper for about 10 minutes to absorb the spices.
Step 2: Pre-processing the gourd
Peel the gourd, wash it, then use a knife to shred it into bite-sized pieces or cut it into moderately thick pieces (depending on preference).
Wash scallions and coriander, cut into small pieces.
Step 3: Stir-fry shrimp
Put the pot on the stove, add a little cooking oil and sauté the remaining minced shallots until fragrant. Continue to add the marinated shrimp and stir well over medium heat until the shrimp is firm and turns into a beautiful pinkish-orange color.
Stir-frying the shrimp first helps to firm the shrimp meat and the broth will be sweeter and richer when cooked.
Step 4: Cook the soup
Pour a moderate amount of filtered water into the pot containing shrimp (about 1 - 1.2 liters of water) and bring to a boil. When the water boils, remove the foam on top to make the broth clear.
Next, put all the gourds in the pot.
Step 5: Complete
Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the gourd is just cooked, then season to taste for the family, then turn off the heat immediately so that the gourd does not become mushy and loses its crispness and sweetness.
Finally, sprinkle scallions, coriander and a little ground pepper on top to add more attractive aroma.
The completed bowl of gourd soup with shrimp has a harmonious color between the lush green of gourd, the pink of shrimp and the green of onions. The cool, sweet broth will bring rice and bring a feeling of comfort and refreshment on hot sunny days.
