Purple Yam and Prawn Soup

Name: Purple Yam and Prawn Soup (Canh Khoai Mỡ Tép)
Yield: Serves 4-6 as part of a Shared Meal
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) raw school prawns (shrimp), peeled, reserving the heads and shells; 1 tablespoon sliced spring onion (scallion), green part only; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) purple yam; 1 tablespoon sliced spring onion (scallion), white part only; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; ½ bunch sawtooth herb, leaves sliced; ½ bunch rice paddy herb, leaves sliced; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Canh Khoai Mỡ Tép

Preparation info

Serves
4-6
as part of a Shared Meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Songs of Sapa

By Luke Nguyen

Published 2009

About

YAMS ARE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR SWEET POTATOES, BUT THEY ARE NOT RELATED. YAMS CAN BE FOUND AT YOUR LOCAL ASIAN MARKET, THEY HAVE A BROWN OUTER SKIN AND STRIKING PURPLE FLESH. THIS DISH IS TEXTURALLY AND VISUALLY STUNNING.

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) purple yam
500

Asia
Vietnam
Saigon
Dinner
Pescatarian
Soup
Gluten-free
Southeast Asia

Method

First peel the yam, then, holding the yam upright and resting on a chopping board, use a spoon to scrape off the yam flesh from top to bottom, working around the whole yam until it has all been scraped (this is a traditional technique that gives the chunky texture needed for the dish; alternatively coarsely grate the yam).

Put 1.5