Vietnamese Nagaimo Yam with Shrimp Soup Recipe

Canh Khoai Từ với Tôm recipe documented 5/17/25.

Time: Prep and cook in one hour.
Serving: 4-8

5/17/25: I am determined to replicate a soup that my friend, Vivian Ha, cooked and let me try. I liked the herbal combination and it was my first time eating the nagaimo yam. Hope you enjoy this simple homestyle Vietnamese soup just as much as I do. My kids do not like the texture of the nagaimo yam.

Ingredients:

For the shrimp paste:

2 lb shrimp size 30/40
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tBsp cornstarch powder
2 tBsp finely chopped Bunching Onions (optional)
1 Tbsp cooking oil

For the Soup

2-6 nagaimo yams (Chinese yam/khoai từ)
1 cup chopped Rice Paddy Herb
1 cup chopped culantro/sawtooth herb (not cilantro – will FU the flavor)
1 cup chopped Bunching Onions (not the regular scallion)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tBsp minced shallots
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger or 1 tsp
4 quarts water
1 tsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp Salt
2 tBsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Viet Huong fish sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper

Conclusion notes: I love how the flavor of the soup turned out, but when I cook it the next time and from now on, I would buy at least four to six of those Chinese Nagaimo yams instead. Two yams are not enough for me.

Direction:

1. Prepping the Nagaimo yams:
Wear gloves. Peel the skin, chop the Nagaimo yams into inch thick pieces. Soak the Nagaimo yams in a big bowl with salt and water for thirty minutes to reduce the slime. I learned to must wear gloves when handling the Nagaimo yams because the flesh when comes into contact with my hands gave me a skin rash all day when I first attempted to cook this soup but aborted the plan due to the skin itching so bad. Lesson learned.

2. Prep the shrimp paste. Peel and devein shrimp. Smash and mix with seasoning to form the shrimp paste. Add in the cooking oil last when you form the paste into a ball so the paste does not stick to the spoon or hand later.

3. Prep the herbs. Minced the garlic and shallots, and ginger.

Get ready to cook!

4. Turn on the heat. In a 6-quart pot, add in a tablespoon of oil and sauteed the minced garlic, ginger, and shallots. Fill up the water pitcher and pour in three to four quarts of water. I use four quarts but think it would be better with three quarts of water.

I seasoned the broth with the following:

1 tablespoon Viet Huong fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
2+ tablespoon of sugar

5. I cooked the Nagaimo yams for about ten minutes on steady boil or until a few pieces started floating to the surface. That’s when I added the shrimp paste in. I scooped the paste with a spoon quickly. I add in the mixture of herbs. Stir. The broth was not thick like how my friend let me tried her version so I added in about six tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with half cup of water to thicken up the soup.