Winter Melon Soup (Canh bí đao)

Canh bí đao is a traditional winter melon soup. It's prepared with a combination of winter melon, shrimps (with added shrimps it's called canh bí đao tom), shallots, fish sauce, oil, pepper, and chicken stock. Most ingredients are crushed into a paste and fried, then cooked with winter melon in the stock seasoned with salt.

Once done, the soup is served in large bowls, and it's typically garnished with chopped spring onions and cilantro. Although it looks daunting, winter melon is very mild in flavor and not bitter at all. The soup has a few variations, so pork stock can be used instead of the one made from chicken, and the soup can be additionally flavored with garlic and ground pork.