Canh bóng thập cẩm (Mixed Pork Skin Soup)

1: Prepare the Ingredients

• Soak dried pork skin in rice-washing water for 20–30 minutes until softened. Rinse thoroughly, squeeze dry, and cut into pieces about the size of two fingers.
• Clean the shrimp, chicken bones, chicken meat, and pork. Let drain.
• Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in rice-washing water for 10–15 minutes until soft. Rinse well and squeeze dry, then cut in half.
• Peel the kohlrabi and carrot. Peel the onion. Remove the strings from the snow peas. Separate broccoli into small florets. Wash all vegetables.
• Cut kohlrabi, carrot, and onion into bite-sized pieces or decorative shapes if desired.
• Grill the shallots until fragrant. Rinse and trim coriander roots and stalks, then smash the roots. Clean and cut scallions and celery into segments.

Tip: How to remove pork skin odor

• Rub the soaked pork skin with crushed ginger and a bit of white wine for 5 minutes, then rinse.
• Alternatively, soak in cooled alum solution for 5–10 minutes, then rinse 2–3 times with clean water.

2: Boil the Shrimp and Chicken Bones

• Boil about 300ml of water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp seasoning powder.
• Add shrimp and parboil for 3–5 minutes until just cooked. Remove and place in cold water, then peel and discard heads.
• Blanch chicken bones briefly, then transfer to cold water.

3. Make the Broth

• Add 500ml water to a pot with chicken bones, salt, seasoning powder, scallions, celery, coriander roots, grilled shallots, and dried shrimp. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.
• Skim off foam to keep the broth clear.

4: Boil the Chicken and Pork

After 5 minutes of simmering the broth, add chicken and pork. Boil for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to cold water.

5. Slice and Shred the Meat

Once cooled, thinly slice the pork and shred the chicken.

6. Cook the Pork Skin and Vegetables

• Strain the broth to remove solids, then return to the pot. Add pork skin, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, kohlrabi, and broccoli. Simmer over medium heat.
• When vegetables are tender, add snow peas and onion. Season with 1 tsp seasoning powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp MSG, and 1 tbsp fish sauce. Simmer for 2 more minutes, adjust seasoning, then turn off heat.

7. Marinate the Cooked Meat

Season the pork and chicken with 1 tsp seasoning powder. Sprinkle shrimp with ½ tsp ground pepper. Let them absorb the seasoning while the soup finishes.

8. Assemble the Dish

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with marinated pork, chicken, and shrimp. Garnish with coriander and a pinch of ground pepper for extra aroma.

9. Final Product

“Some dishes don’t just nourish the body—they carry the essence of generations.”

Mixed Pork Skin Soup (Canh bóng thập cẩm) is one such treasured dish in Vietnamese cuisine, especially cherished during the Tet holiday and family gatherings. It’s not just a soup—it’s a quiet celebration of abundance, harmony, and familial love.

The name “thập cẩm” means “assorted,” and true to its name, the soup brings together a colorful medley of ingredients: chewy rehydrated pork skin (bóng bì), tender chicken and pork, sweet shrimp, and a garden of vegetables like carrots, snow peas, kohlrabi, shiitake mushrooms, and cauliflower. All are simmered in a clear, fragrant broth, gently layered with umami from dried shrimp, grilled shallots, and fresh herbs.

Traditionally, this dish was reserved for special occasions—not because it’s difficult, but because it deserves to be shared. In northern Vietnamese households, canh bóng is often the centerpiece on Tet dining tables, symbolizing a prosperous new year with its golden colors, textures, and nutritional balance.

For many, the dish evokes memories of early mornings in bustling markets, where grandmothers carefully selected the best cuts of meat and freshest produce. It reminds them of laughter in crowded kitchens, of children sneaking bites of boiled shrimp before the soup was served. It’s the kind of food that speaks in a quiet voice: “You are home.”

Today, Canh bóng thập cẩm continues to be a bridge between generations, between modern and traditional life. Whether served in a small family kitchen or at a formal holiday feast, it brings with it the flavors of care, memory, and Vietnamese identity—all in one nourishing bowl.