Healthy Mixed Vegetable Soup: Easy Family Meal Recipe

Mixed vegetable soup is a familiar and indispensable dish in every family meal. With a harmonious combination of various vegetables, this soup is not only delicious but also provides many essential nutrients for health. Let’s explore how to cook a fragrant and nutritious mixed vegetable and pork bone soup.

How to Cook Mixed Vegetable and Pork Bone Soup

Ingredients

• 500g pork bones
• 3 potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 chayote
• 1 shallot
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• Salt, pepper, MSG (optional), seasoning powder

How to Choose Ingredients

Choosing Pork Bones

• Select bone strips that are fresh, reddish-pink and have no green or purple spots.
• Good bone strips are two to three fingers thick and have no unpleasant odor.
• Check the cut surfaces of the bone strips to ensure they are dry and not slimy.

Choosing Potatoes

• Good potatoes typically have smooth skin and a bright yellow color.
• Choose firm, heavy potatoes that are not bruised or damaged.
• Do not choose potatoes that have sprouted or turned green, as they can cause poisoning when eaten.

Choosing Carrots

• Opt for carrots with a bright orange color, smooth skin, and no unusual black spots.
• Choose carrots with green stems firmly attached to the body.
• Select long and well-proportioned carrots; avoid those that are too large or too small.

Choosing Chayote

• Choose chayotes that are fresh green and have many small spines on the surface. These spines indicate that the fruit is still young and will taste better.
• Check by pressing the chayote. If it’s soft, it’s young; if it’s hard and tough, you should not buy it.
• Do not choose chayotes with black spots, softness, bruises, or scratches.

How to Cook Mixed Vegetable and Pork Bone Soup

Prepare Ingredients

To remove the odor from pork bones, wash them thoroughly with diluted salt water, then rinse again with cold water. Next, place the pork bones in a pot of water and boil until it simmers. Skim off the bones, rinse them under water, and drain. Blanching the pork bones will remove the odor and make the broth clearer.

Peel and wash the potatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Peel, wash, and cut the carrots and chayote into pieces.

Peel and wash the shallot, then finely chop it.

Cooking the Soup

Place a pot on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped shallot and sauté until fragrant, then add the pork bones and stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Carrots take the longest to cook, so add them first and cook for about 3 minutes. Then pour 1 liter of water into the pot. Once the water boils, add the chayote and potatoes, then add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Adjust to medium heat and cook for about 20 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and season to taste before turning off the heat.

Delicious Mixed Vegetable and Pork Bone Soup

Finished Dish

This vegetable and pork bone soup features tender pork and the natural sweetness of vegetables. The broth is clear, not cloudy, because the bones were blanched before cooking. The soup is easy to eat and suitable for summer meals, being rich in nutrients and refreshing.

Nutritious Mixed Vegetable and Pork Bone Soup

Other Mixed Vegetable Soup Recipes

Vegetarian Mixed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 1 carrot
• 1 ear of corn
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 potato
• 1 tomato
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Peel, wash, and drain the carrot and potato. Wash and cut the corn into bite-sized pieces.
• Heat a little oil in a pot. When the oil is hot, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add carrots and stir-fry until slightly softened.
• Next, add potatoes and corn, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Finally, add water and bring to a boil, cooking for about 15 minutes.
• Wash the tomato, peel it, and mash it.
• When the soup boils, add the mashed tomato and a little salt. Increase heat to bring the soup to a boil again, then turn off the heat.

Light and Flavorful Vegetarian Mixed Vegetable Soup

Mekong Delta ‘Canh Kiểm’ Soup

People in the Mekong Delta particularly enjoy “Canh Kiểm.” This dish is often prepared on full moon days, made from various vegetables and rich coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 150g pumpkin
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 small cassava root
• 6 small ripe bananas (chuối xiêm)
• 1 cup thick coconut cream
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• Salt, sugar

Instructions

• Peel, wash, and cut the pumpkin into pieces.
• Peel and slice the bananas.
• Peel, wash, and cut the sweet potato and cassava into small pieces.
• Marinate the above ingredients with sugar for 15 minutes.
• Pour the thin coconut milk into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pumpkin and cook until soft.
• Next, add the sweet potato and tapioca flour. When the vegetables are soft, add the bananas.
• Once all ingredients are cooked through and tender, add the thick coconut cream and season with a little salt and sugar to taste.
• Ladle the soup into a bowl and enjoy it alone, with white rice, or bread. You can also sprinkle peanuts on top if desired.
• Spices can be changed with other ingredients such as sake, tofu, taro, edamame, yuba, etc.

Japanese-Style Mixed Vegetable Soup

Japanese-style mixed vegetable soup is very light and suitable for meals when you want something gentle and less meat-heavy. This soup is also great for relieving hangovers.

Ingredients

• 200g white tofu
• 50g carrots
• 70g daikon radish
• 100g taro
• 500ml water
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 800ml Dashi broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 50g shiitake mushrooms

Instructions

• Wash the tofu, drain, and cut into small pieces.
• Peel carrots, taro, shiitake mushrooms, and daikon radish, wash, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Place a pot on the stove and add a little sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add all vegetables except shiitake mushrooms and tofu to the pot, stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Continue by adding tofu, mushrooms, Dashi broth, soy sauce, and sake. Add more water if it seems too dry. Cook this soup for 15 minutes. When the water boils, add green onions and turn off the heat.

Light and Refreshing Japanese-Style Mixed Vegetable Soup

Conclusion

Mixed vegetable soup is a nutritious and easy-to-cook dish, suitable for any family meal. With the recipes above, you can easily vary your daily menu to make meals more abundant and diverse. Try it now to experience the delicious flavor and health benefits this soup offers.