Vietnamese Canh: Clear Broth Soups

Ingredients

• For the broth
• 500 g pork neck bones, rinsed
• 1.2 litres water
• 200 g vegetables, cut to uniform pieces; added in sequence by density
• 100 g protein, pork or shrimp, sliced thin or shelled
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, added off heat
• Herb finish
• 30 g spring onion, sliced
• 20 g fresh coriander, leaves picked
• 20 g Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), leaves picked

Method

1. 1
   Place pork neck bones in cold water and bring to a simmer. Skim the surface diligently until the broth runs clear. Continue at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes. The broth is ready when it is pale gold and carries no grey foam on the surface.
2. 2
   Strain the broth and return it to the pot. Bring to a brisk simmer. Add protein first; cook only until just opaque. This is where the dish lives or dies — overcooking at this stage toughens the protein and clouds the broth, destroying both the texture and the clarity that define canh.
3. 3
   Add vegetables in sequence, beginning with the densest. Each addition should return the broth to a simmer within seconds. The vegetables are done when just tender — they yield to a spoon's edge but hold their structure. Vietnamese preference demands that texture survives.
4. 4
   Remove the pot from heat. Add fish sauce. Taste immediately — the aromatic compounds that give fish sauce its character dissipate with sustained heat; seasoning off the heat preserves them. The broth should be savoury and clean on the palate, not salty.
5. 5
   Scatter spring onion, coriander, and Vietnamese coriander (rau ram) directly into the soup off heat, in large quantity — herbs here are a vegetable, not a garnish. The soup is ready when the herbs are barely wilted and their fragrance rises from the bowl.