Bánh Canh Chay (Vegetarian Tapioca Noodle Soup)
Our most searched for tapioca noodle soup is VEGETARIAN in this Bánh Canh Chay! It uses a homemade vegetable stock for a fragrant broth.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Vegetable Stock Cooking3 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Vegetarian, Vietnamese
Servings: 10
Calories: 959kcal
The Broth
- 2 1/2 kg / 5.5 lb Chinese cabbage
- 2 kg / 4.4 lb cabbage
- 700 g / 1.5 lb daikon
- 1 1/2 kg / 3.3 lb corn
- 6 carrots
- 700 g / 1.5 lb rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (or half lion's mane)
- 10 L / 42 US cup water
- 1 L / 4.2 US cup coconut water
- 3 1/2 tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 8 tbsp vegetarian fish sauce (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp vegetable stock powder
The Toppings and Noodles
- 1 kg / 2.2 lb assorted fresh mushrooms
- 2 boxes fried tofu (we buy it from the Asian supermarket)
- vegetarian ham (we buy it from the specialty vegetarian shop)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder
- 2 bags tapioca noodles (banh canh)
The Garnish
- coriander
- lemon/lime
- chili (optional)
Wash the vegetables in cold water until they are free of dirt. For the cabbage, soak them in lightly salted water and rinse 2-3 times.
Bring the pot of water to a boil and add the stock vegetables in along with the rehydrated mushrooms. Let the water come back to a boil, then turn the heat to low to simmer for 3 hours or until the vegetables are soft.
When the vegetables are soft, scoop them out using a sieve and pour in the coconut water.
Cut the toppings into smaller pieces to a size of your preference.
Add the salt, vegetable stock powder, vegetarian fish sauce and fried tofu in to season the soup.
Heat up a saucepan with oil and stir fry the fresh mushrooms with the vegetable stock powder.
Pour the cooked mushrooms into the broth pot.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tapioca noodles for 5 minutes or until just loosened from a clump. Note: These noodles are already cooked, so putting them in hot water just helps to separate each strand. Use a spatula to gently ease them apart. To serve Bánh Canh Chay, put the tapioca noodles in a bowl along with the toppings and heated soup. Garnish with chopped coriander, chili and a squeeze of lemon juice!
- Cook the mushrooms in the broth. This will make it much sweeter with a richer base flavor.
- Simmer using a low to medium heat. As with any stock, boiling over a high heat for long periods of time will turn the liquid murky.
- Use dehydrated mushrooms for the stock and fresh ones for the toppings. Rehydrated mushrooms have a much stronger taste which works well for a soup base.
- If you prefer other vegetables or would like to use fruit (E.G. apples or pears), they will also work well.
- We also buy pre-prepared lion's mane mushrooms and vegetarian ham from our local vegetarian shop, but if that's unavailable then shiitake mushrooms are just as tasty.
- Our assorted mushroom selection includes fresh king oyster, shiitake, enoki and oyster mushrooms but if you prefer other types, they can be used instead.
- We use precooked tapioca noodles delivered fresh to our local grocery store, but you can find uncooked versions as well.
Calories: 959kcal | Carbohydrates: 183g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3547mg | Potassium: 3974mg | Fiber: 34g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 8608IU | Vitamin C: 201mg | Calcium: 412mg | Iron: 10mg