Canh Cai Cay Tom / Mustard Green Soup with Shrimp Ball

This is another Vietnamese soup you won’t typically find at any restaurant. Canh Cai Cay, or mustard green soup, is a comforting dish typically served at home as part of cơm gia đình, a traditional Vietnamese family meal. Soups like this are made to be shared alongside rice and other dishes, offering warmth, nutrients, and balance to the table. They are also a beautiful example of how Vietnamese families make the most out of minimal ingredients, stretching the dollar while still creating something deeply nourishing and full of flavor.

For me, it’s been amazing to reconnect with my culture through soups like this, rediscovering dishes I grew up with but haven’t had in over 15 years since I last had my mom’s version. Making it at home now feels like revisiting an old memory that reminds me of her cooking and the care she took in preparing every meal. What I love most about canh cai cay is that it is simple, humble, and incredibly easy to make, yet it captures so much of what Vietnamese home cooking is about: comfort, connection, and resilience.

The Main Components of Canh Cai Cay

Mustard Greens

In Vietnamese, mustard greens are known as cải cay or cải xanh. More commonly, you’ll find these mustard greens pickled and served as a side; however, today we’ll make them the focal point of our soup instead. These leafy greens have a natural peppery bitterness that mellows out beautifully once cooked. When simmered in broth, the sharp bite transforms into a deep, earthy flavor that pairs perfectly with seafood or pork-based stocks.

To prepare them, start by trimming off the tough ends of the stems. Then cut the greens into smaller pieces, about 1 inch in length. Mustard greens tend to trap a bit of dirt between their leaves, so it is important to soak them in water and rinse thoroughly two or three times to remove any grit. Once cleaned, they are ready to be added to the pot toward the end of cooking to maintain their tender texture without becoming mushy.

Dried Shrimp

In this soup, we’re featuring two different types of shrimp. For the broth, we use dried shrimp, a staple ingredient in Vietnamese kitchens. Dried shrimp are affordable, accessible, and store incredibly well in the freezer, which means they are almost always on hand. By dehydrating the shrimp, their flavor becomes concentrated, giving soups like this one a rich umami depth without needing much else. My personal favorite dried shrimp is from Kho Market, and they’ve been gracious enough to offer my readers a discount! You can use my code “FEEDTHEPUDGE” for 10% your next order! (not affiliate)

Before using, just rehydrate the dried shrimp in room-temperature water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain them. They will soften slightly and release their natural sweetness into the broth as they simmer, forming the base of a light yet flavorful stock that complements the mustard greens beautifully.

Shrimp Meatballs

To make the soup more substantial, we add shrimp meatballs. You can use either large or small shrimp, whatever you have available. The key is to pound or blend the shrimp into a smooth paste. You can do this traditionally with a mortar and pestle, finely mince it with a knife, or use a food processor for convenience. Once it is formed into a paste, add a little cornstarch to help the shrimp plump up as they cook, giving the meatballs a fuller and bouncier texture. Gently drop spoonfuls of the shrimp mixture into the simmering broth, and they will firm up quickly, infusing the soup with even more sweetness.

Canh cai cay is the kind of dish that reminds me why I love Vietnamese home cooking so much. It is simple yet rich in depth, crafted with humble ingredients that transform into something comforting and wholesome. Every time I have it, I feel a little closer to home and to my mom’s kitchen, where soups like this were always simmering in the background, quietly bringing everyone together.