For the lemongrass: Wash the lemongrass. Remove all the white powder from the leaves. Cut the stalk in half and crush it with the back of a chef's knife.

Frying the shallots and garlic: Heat the canola oil in a skillet. Fry the shallots in the oil, stirring frequently to prevent the shallots from burning, until the color is evenly golden brown. Reserve the oil. Drain the shallots on paper towels. Set aside.In the same skillet, add the minced garlic and cook until it's golden. Leave the fried garlic in the oil. Set aside.

Seasoning the broth: Bring the water to a boil in a small pot. Add the tapioca starch, ginger, lemongrass, chopped onion and fried shallots. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the whole red chiles, daikon and rock sugar. Bring to one more boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

For the shrimp balls: In a bowl, season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of fried garlic, sea salt, red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of cilantro. In a blender or a mini-blender if you have one, blend the shrimp with about 2 teaspoons of the garlic-infused oil. Add a teaspoon of green onion. Form about 1-tablespoon-sized shrimp balls.

For the rau mồng tơi: Wash the spinach. Separate the stems from the leaves. Set aside.

Assembly time: Bring the broth back to a boil. Add the shrimp balls, one at a time. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Fish out the shrimp balls and set aside on a platter. Add soy sauce and bring the broth back to a boil. Add the rest of the fried garlic and the spinach stems. Cook for a minute then add the rau mồng tơi leaves. Add the shrimp balls. Turn off the heat. Cover and let the soup sit for about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the lemongrass. Sprinkle the rest of the black pepper.

Serve hot with more cilantro and green onions. Drizzle toasted sesame oil and some nước mắm to the broth to finish.

Dig in!