Vietnamese Pumpkin Soup (Canh Bi Do)

Ingredients

• 14 oz peeled, uncooked butternut squash ((or Kabocha squash, or other types of cooking pumpkin))
• 5 oz ground pork ((with low percentage of fat preferably))
• 3/4 teaspoon salt ((to taste))
• olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, optional ((to taste))
• scallions, thinly sliced
• cilantro, roughly chopped
• black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut squash into small pieces, about ½-¾ inch thick. Set aside. Mix ground pork with ¼ teaspoon of salt.

2. 2

   Place a pot over medium heat and heat a small amount of oil. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.

3. 3

   Add ground pork. Stir and cook while breaking up the meat. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and continue to stir and cook until the pork is no longer pink on the outside.

4. 4

   Pour water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Skim off any foam and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with the lid slightly askew and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

5. 5

   Open the lid and add squash pieces. Increase the heat and let the soup come to a rolling simmer. Then skim off foam and lower the heat back to a gentle simmer. Cover with the lid slightly askew and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender to your liking.

6. 6

   Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt or fish sauce to your liking. Transfer to serving bowls. Scatter chopped scallion and cilantro on top and sprinkle some black pepper. Serve right away.