Top 12 Best Summer Dishes to Cool Down Your Family

In a Vietnamese family meal, soup is always an essential dish, whether it's hot or cold outside. Along with traditional bone-based soups, fish soups are also widely loved for their sweet and aromatic fish broth. Sour Orange Fish Soup is a favorite dish for many families during the hot summer months. You can use fish like tilapia, snakehead, or carp as ingredients for this soup.

Ingredients:

• Orange fish: 1 piece.
• Lemon: 3 pieces.
• Bean sprouts: 50g.
• Tomatoes: 2 pieces.
• Pineapple: 50g.
• Jute leaves: 20g.
• Okra: 50g.
• Seasoning to taste.

Instructions:

• Prepare the fish by removing the gills, fins, and intestines. Soak it in diluted saltwater, rinse thoroughly, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Wash and soak the vegetables in a little saltwater, except the pineapple, then rinse again.
• Pineapple should be peeled, cored, and chopped into bite-sized pieces. Slice the okra diagonally, peel the jute leaves, and cut them diagonally. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and chop the herbs.
• Place a pot on the stove, add 500ml of water, and cook the pineapple. Once the water boils, add the fish and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add all the remaining ingredients and cook for another 2 minutes. Season to taste, then add herbs and a little fried garlic before serving the soup in bowls.

Tofu, a nutrient-rich food, is a staple in every Vietnamese family meal. It can be prepared in various ways like frying, steaming, saucing, or stewing. Among them, the Mixed Tofu Soup is a favorite. Especially during hot summer days, when appetites are low, this dish provides a refreshing and light taste. Despite being simple and inexpensive, tofu is as nutritious as more exotic ingredients and is much easier to cook.

Ingredients:

• Tofu: 1 block.
• Clams: 500g (or other shellfish like snails or mussels).
• Sour fruit (Sấu): 3 pieces.
• Tomatoes: 2 pieces.
• Shallot: 1 bulb.
• Spring onions: 2 sprigs.
• Vietnamese coriander: 10g.
• Seasoning: Salt, seasoning powder, ground pepper.

Method:

• Soak the clams overnight to clean off any sand and dirt, then rinse thoroughly. Place the clams in a pot of water and boil until they open. Remove the clam meat, discard the shell and wash the meat again. Strain the broth to remove impurities.
• Cut tofu into small cubes. Dice one tomato and cut the other into wedges. Peel and chop the shallot finely.
• Heat some oil in a deep pan, sauté the shallots until fragrant, then add the diced tomatoes and cook until softened. Add the clam meat with a pinch of salt and seasoning powder, stir to combine.
• Pour the clam broth and sour fruit into a pot, simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the broth boils, add the tofu and tomato wedges, season to taste, and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Finally, add the spring onions and Vietnamese coriander. Turn off the heat and serve the soup in bowls for a refreshing meal.

Crab soup with Malabar spinach and Chinese spinach is a simple yet flavorful dish, offering a refreshing and mild taste, making it an excellent choice for cooling down during hot summer days. This soup is not only delicious but also packed with health benefits, thanks to the nutritious greens used. Combining Malabar spinach, loofah, and crab gives you a bowl of soothing, tasty soup perfect for the summer heat.

Ingredients:

• Ground freshwater crab: 500g.
• Chinese spinach: 1 bunch.
• Malabar spinach: 1 bunch.
• Loofah: 1 piece.
• Seasonings: Seasoning powder, salt, monosodium glutamate, ground pepper.

Instructions:

• Add half a tablespoon of salt to the crab meat and mix well. Gradually add water to the crab, then strain the mixture. Be careful to add water slowly, straining bit by bit to extract all the nutrients and meat from the crab.
• Wash and clean all the vegetables. Cut the Malabar spinach and Chinese spinach into small pieces, and peel and slice the loofah diagonally.
• Bring the crab broth to a boil, making sure to keep the heat moderate to prevent the crab fat from breaking apart. Once the crab fat has floated to the surface, use chopsticks to push it to one side, then add the loofah pieces.
• When the loofah is nearly cooked, add the Chinese spinach and Malabar spinach, gently stir, season to taste, and wait for the soup to come to a boil again before turning off the heat.

Sesbania flowers are commonly used in summer dishes such as soups, hot pots, salads, and stir-fries. Stir-fried clams with Sesbania flowers is a refreshing dish, perfect for cooling down during hot weather, and provides a unique and flavorful taste that pairs well with rice. Sesbania flowers have a sweet flavor and a cooling effect, making them an excellent choice for combating summer heat and skin irritation. The clam broth can also be used to make delicious soups or porridges that help keep you cool.

Ingredients:

• Sesbania flowers: 500g.
• Clams: 200g (cleaned, or around 1kg if not cleaned yet).
• Pennywort: 1 bunch.
• Shallots, chili peppers.
• Seasonings: Seasoning powder, salt, monosodium glutamate, cooking oil.

Instructions:

• Place the clams in a pot, cover them with water, and boil until the clams open. Once the water boils and the clams are open, turn off the heat. Remove the clams from the pot, rinse them with cold water, and extract the clam meat.
• Strain the clam broth to remove any remaining debris, and keep it to cook soups such as sweet potato greens or sour crab soup.
• Rinse the Sesbania flowers thoroughly, separate them into small, bite-sized pieces, and let them dry. Clean and chop the pennywort into small pieces.
• Heat a pan with a spoonful of cooking oil, add chopped shallots, and fry them until fragrant. Then, add the cleaned clams and stir-fry until they are cooked through, seasoning with a little seasoning powder. Once done, set the clams aside.
• In the same pan, add more oil and stir-fry the Sesbania flowers until almost tender. Then, add the cooked clams back into the pan, mix thoroughly, and season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and monosodium glutamate. Stir-fry for another 3 minutes and then turn off the heat.
• Serve the stir-fried clams with Sesbania flowers hot and enjoy!

Chicken porridge is a simple dish that suits people of all ages, and chicken and mung bean porridge is particularly popular due to its easy preparation. This dish is rich in nutrients and is ideal for anyone recovering from illness or pregnant women, offering a great supplement for their health. Mung bean and chicken porridge is also a fantastic choice during hot summer days, as it not only hydrates but also provides excellent cooling benefits.

Ingredients:

• Chicken meat: 500g.
• White rice: 50g.
• Sticky rice: 50g.
• Mung beans: 50g.
• Shallots: 5 bulbs.
• Spring onions/coriander: 1 bunch.
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tablespoon.
• Seasoning powder: 1/2 tablespoon.
• Seasonings: Salt, seasoning powder, black pepper.

Instructions:

• To clean the chicken thoroughly, remove any remaining feathers and wash it with diluted saltwater. Rinse it several times, drain, and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Peel and wash the shallots. Remove the roots from the spring onions and coriander, rinse well, and chop them into small pieces.
• In a pot, bring 1 liter of water to a boil, add the shallots, and once the water is boiling, add the marinated chicken. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes on medium heat. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot.
• Soak the mung beans for about 2 hours, then rinse them thoroughly.
• After removing the chicken, add 50g of white rice, 50g of sticky rice, and 50g of mung beans to the pot, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, check if the rice has softened, then add the chicken back into the pot. Cook for an additional 15 minutes on medium heat until the chicken and porridge are tender.
• Before turning off the heat, adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve the porridge in bowls, topping with chopped spring onions, coriander, and a dash of black pepper for extra flavor.

Meals made with bitter melon are perfect for the hot summer days, and bitter melon soup with shrimp is both simple to make and highly effective in cooling the body. This soup, with the sweet shrimp flavor blending with the cool bitterness of the melon, is the perfect dish for a hot day. Add it to your daily menu to refresh your taste buds and bring variety to your family's meals.

Ingredients:

• Fresh shrimp: 200g.
• Bitter melon: 1 fruit.
• Shallots: 2 bulbs.
• Green onions: a small bunch.
• Cooking oil: 1/2 tablespoon.
• Seasonings: Salt, MSG, seasoning powder, ground pepper.

Instructions:

• Peel and devein the shrimp, then rinse them clean. Chop the shrimp finely. Season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb the flavor.
• Peel and clean the bitter melon, then slice it into thin, bite-sized pieces. Peel and chop the shallots, and rinse and chop the green onions.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a pot, then add the shallots and sauté until fragrant.
• Once the shallots are aromatic, add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes until cooked and firm, then add 1 liter of water and bring to a boil.
• Once the water boils, remove any scum, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of MSG, and toss in the bitter melon slices.
• Press the melon gently to submerge it in the water, then cook on high heat for another 2 minutes until the soup boils again. Taste and adjust seasoning before turning off the heat.
• Serve the soup in bowls, topping with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of ground pepper for extra aroma, then enjoy!

In traditional medicine, amaranth is known for its cooling properties. The red amaranth is sweet and cool, providing benefits such as heat-cleansing, liver health, and boosting energy. Shrimp is rich in protein and hemoglobin, which helps combat anemia. The iron in shrimp is easily absorbed by the body, making it an excellent source of iron. The amaranth soup with shrimp is a nutritious and refreshing dish that stimulates digestion. Recent studies have shown that amaranth can also aid in detoxification and the elimination of harmful substances from the body due to its high sterol content and unsaturated fatty acids.

Ingredients:

• Amaranth leaves: 400g
• Fresh shrimp: 200g
• Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
• Seasonings: Salt, MSG, seasoning powder

Instructions:

• Pick the tender young leaves and tips of the amaranth, discarding any damaged leaves. Wash thoroughly and set aside to drain.
• Clean the shrimp, removing the head, antennae, and shells. Slice the shrimp lengthwise and remove the dark vein along the back. If the shrimp are large, you can cut them in half or into thirds.
• Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of MSG, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Let it marinate for 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot, then sauté the shrimp until cooked through. Add 1.5 liters of water, bring it to a boil, and remove any scum. Then, add the amaranth leaves.
• Season the soup with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stir to combine.
• Let it cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Mushroom Soup is a versatile dish, perfect for any season. In the hot summer months, it serves as a refreshing meal, while in the colder months, it warms the body and provides essential nutrients. You can use a variety of mushrooms depending on your family’s preferences, but typically, enoki mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are used. For a milder flavor, consider using half the amount of shiitake mushrooms to balance the dish and make it more palatable.

Ingredients:

• Beef: 150g
• Carrot: 1
• Onion: 1
• Chives: 50g
• Enoki mushrooms: 100g
• Chicken leg mushrooms: 50g
• Oyster mushrooms: 100g
• Snow mushrooms: 100g
• Shiitake mushrooms: 50g
• Garlic: 1 bulb
• Sesame seeds: 20g
• Potato starch: 2 teaspoons
• Seasonings: Salt, seasoning powder, MSG, black pepper...

Instructions:

• Clean the beef and slice it thinly. Marinate for 10 minutes with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.
• Soak the shiitake mushrooms to soften, clean, and cut them in half. Clean and prepare the other mushrooms by removing their stems, washing them in salted water, then rinsing under cold water and draining. Slice the chicken leg mushrooms lengthwise, and tear the oyster mushrooms into smaller pieces.
• Toast the sesame seeds until golden and fragrant, then grind them into a fine powder. Clean the chives and cut them into 3 cm lengths. Peel and cut the carrot into small 3 cm pieces. Peel and cut the onion into 1 cm wedges.
• Mix the potato starch with 3 teaspoons of ground sesame seeds.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pot, sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add the marinated beef and stir-fry until browned.
• Add 1 liter of water to the pot along with all the mushrooms and carrots. Bring to a boil, then add the onions and chives. Season the soup with 3 teaspoons of seasoning powder and stir well.
• Finally, add the mixture of potato starch and ground sesame to the pot, stir until the soup thickens, then turn off the heat when it comes to a boil.

Pumpkin is a highly beloved food known for its rich flavor and various health benefits. Pumpkin Soup with Ground Pork is a refreshing soup that boosts immunity, supports heart health, and strengthens bones and eyesight. This summer, make this cool soup to help your family stay refreshed!

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin: 500g
• Ground Pork: 200g
• Green Onions: 3 stalks
• Vietnamese Coriander: A small bunch
• Fish Sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Cooking Oil: 1 tablespoon
• Seasonings: Salt, seasoning powder, MSG, ground pepper

Instructions:

• Peel the pumpkin and cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. Clean the green onions and Vietnamese coriander, then chop them finely.
• Heat a pot on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and sauté the chopped green onions until fragrant. Add 200g of ground pork, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper. Stir for about 1 minute until the pork is cooked through, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Continue cooking until the pork is thoroughly done.
• Once the pork is cooked, add 1 liter of water to the pot and stir well. Add the chopped pumpkin, cover the pot, and increase the heat to cook for about 15 minutes until the pumpkin softens. Adjust seasoning with 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder to taste. Finally, stir in the chopped green onions and Vietnamese coriander, and turn off the heat.

On hot summer days, soups are a must-have dish for family meals. Simple to make yet incredibly nutritious, Shrimp and Pork with Fresh Leaves Soup is a popular and beloved dish in many households. With key ingredients like fresh leaves, shrimp, and pork, this soup provides various health benefits.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh leaves
• Fresh shrimp: 100g
• Green onions: 3 stalks
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• Common seasonings: ground pepper, seasoning powder, MSG, etc.

Instructions:

• Pluck the fresh leaves and rinse thoroughly.
• Peel and clean the shrimp.
• Heat a pot on medium, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the minced green onions until fragrant.
• Add the shrimp and stir for about 1 minute until they firm up, then pour in about 600ml of water, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of MSG, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir well.
• Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, add the fresh leaves and let the soup boil for another 5 minutes.
• Adjust the seasoning to taste, stir well, and cook for an additional 2 minutes before turning off the heat.
• Scoop the soup into bowls, sprinkle with ground pepper, and enjoy!

Bitter melon is not only a common ingredient in many dishes but also a powerful herb. Dishes made with bitter melon are known for their cooling and detoxifying effects, which are particularly helpful for those with mouth ulcers caused by heat. For those who dislike the bitterness, soaking the bitter melon in water before cooking can reduce its sharp taste.

Ingredients:

• Bitter melon: 250g (~2 pieces)
• Ground pork shoulder: 150g
• Bone broth: 200ml
• Shallots: 10g
• Carrot: 100g
• Wood ear mushrooms and other seasonings

Instructions:

• Wash the bitter melon, slice it in half, and scoop out the seeds. Soak and rinse the wood ear mushrooms, remove the stems, and chop them into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Wash the herbs, discarding the roots, and chop the green onions for garnish.
• Mix the ground pork with the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, 1 duck egg, and seasonings, including 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb the flavors. Carefully stuff the bitter melon with the mixture, pressing it gently to pack the stuffing tightly.
• Bring 800ml of bone broth to a boil with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the stuffed bitter melon and season with 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Simmer for about 40 minutes until the bitter melon is tender and cooked through.
• Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of pepper. Allow the soup to cool slightly before serving, as the bitterness will lessen once the soup cools.

Clam soup with sour bamboo shoots is a beloved dish, especially during the hot summer months, offering excellent cooling effects. It is relatively simple to prepare, and you can easily make it for your family and loved ones.

Ingredients:

• Clams: 1 kg.
• Tomatoes: 2 - 3 pieces.
• Sour tamarind: 2 pieces.
• Chili: 1 piece.
• Bamboo shoots: 3 pieces.
• Herbs: cilantro, dill, and green onions.
• Seasonings: seasoning powder, soup powder, monosodium glutamate, cooking oil.

Instructions:

• Clean the clams and boil them until they open, then strain the clear broth and remove the meat from the shells. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and finely chop the herbs.
• Cut the bamboo shoots into bite-sized pieces. Sauté the onions with the tomatoes, add a spoonful of seasoning, cover the pot to let the tomatoes soften, then add the clam meat and stir-fry briefly.
• Pour in the clam broth and bring it to a boil. Add two tamarind pieces, letting them cook in the broth until they float. Once softened, remove and extract the tamarind juice. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Finally, add the bamboo shoots and simmer for about two minutes. Add the cilantro and dill, and season with monosodium glutamate. Turn off the heat and serve the soup in bowls.