Chinese Squash Soup with Fish (Canh Bầu)

In every Vietnamese village, Chinese squash or as I prefer to call it, "Bầu", is a very beautiful image. This type of vegetable grows very well and easy to take care of. It is a climbing vegetable, and it needs a bamboo or wood structure to support it. Almost every household in the villages of Vietnam has been growing this vegetable because the bamboo structure to support this vine becomes a good place for the family to sit and relax under after a hot day at work. The young leaves of this vine can be sliced and stir-fried to create another dish for the family. It looks so beautiful when every vine had at least a few "Bầu " with a shiny bright green dangling under the support of its structure. In Vietnam, we called it " giàn bầu" with so many proverbs sung by the villages for generations. Bầu has many varieties of shape. Some are rough, some are long. The one shape of Bầu that always stays in my mind is round at the bottom with a long and narrow neck. It looks like the shape of a wine bottle, and this kind of shape is the image of a saint with a nice face and a long white beard. He became a fairy tale for all the Vietnamese kids when they grew up. Bầu can be cooked with meat or seafood, and the only two types of fish in Vietnam that can bring out the best of this vegetable soup are the snake head and the air breathing fish. The result is a clear broth with a yellow fish fat floating to the top. The cooked fish can be served on the side with fish sauce and hot chili. I cannot find this type of fish where I live, so I have to use trout instead. I know the taste will not be the same, but sometimes I have to make this soup to recharge my childhood memories. Also, this soup requires very few ingredients, and the health benefits are tremendous.

Ingredients:
1 Chinese squash
1 trout
Broth:
3 cups water plus 3 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup white onions, chopped
2 shallots
1 knob of fresh ginger, mashed
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
Garnish: chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:
Clean trout very well and cut into 3 portions. In a medium pot, combine and boil the broth ingredients, except the vegetable broth.  Simmer the broth for 10 minutes and add trout. Skim of any residue rising to the top and cook trout for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove trout from the broth. Drain broth and discard the solids.
Peel the Chinese squash and shred.

 In the same pot, return the broth to the pot and add 3 cups or more of vegetable broth or water. Bring to boil and add the squash. Season with salt, black pepper, and fish sauce. Slice two shallots and add into the broth.  Cook squash for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.