Vietnamese Pork, Eggplant and Tomato Soup (Canh Cà Bung)
What is Canh Cà Bung?
Canh cà bung is a homestyle soup from northern Vietnam made with sliced pork, purple eggplant, tomatoes, and fried tofu, finished with a generous handful of purple perilla leaves (tía tô). A small amount of fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm) gives the broth its deep, savory umami flavor.
It's an underrated everyday dish that comes together in about 30 minutes. Serve it hot with a bowl of steamed rice.
Watch How to Make It
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Vietnamese Pork, Eggplant and Tomato Soup (Canh Cà Bung)
Ingredients
- ½ lb pork shoulder sliced
- 2 whole tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 purple eggplant cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 bundle purple perilla leaves (tía tô) sliced thinly
- 2 stalks green onion sliced thinly
- ¼ lb fried tofu cubes
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon shrimp paste (mắm tôm)
- ⅓ teaspoon MSG
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables: cut the eggplant into bite-size pieces, cut the tomatoes into wedges, and thinly slice the perilla leaves and green onion.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté the green onion until fragrant.
- Add the sliced pork and stir-fry until it is no longer pink.
- Add the tomatoes and eggplant and stir to combine. Season with the fish sauce, salt, sugar, shrimp paste, and MSG.
- Add the fried tofu cubes and pour in 4 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the eggplant is soft, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the sliced perilla leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice.
