Vietnamese crab noodle soup is a finger-licking noodle soup from Vietnam. If you find Phở or Bún Bò Huế (spicy Vietnamese beef noodles) too familiar, this one will provide a nice change of palate. While it isn’t as popular as the previous names, don’t underestimate how tasty Bún Riêu is.
Cooking this delicacy may take some time. But be patient, and your effort will be rewarded with an amazing taste you can’t forget. The traditional version of the dish is extremely challenging to recreate outside Vietnam, so I will show you an easier but no less exciting way of cooking it.
A Few Interesting Things To Know About Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup
Vietnamese crab noodle soup is a simple and rustic dish whose roots are connected with the agricultural past of Vietnam. Its main ingredient is small freshwater crabs that are found in countless paddy fields in the country.
Locals mince them (both their flesh and shells) into a fine paste before cooking it into deeply savory broth as well as steamed crab cakes. While some other versions of Bún Riêu replace crabs with fish or snails, this recipe is the most popular one throughout Vietnam.
The main flavor of this noodle soup is tartness, which usually comes from tomatoes and tamarind paste. This characteristic gives it its name, as “riêu” means a sour soup or noodle soup made with crabs in fish in Vietnamese.
Vietnamese crab noodle soup started as a poor man’s food, though people from all walks of life enjoy it these days. Its pleasantly sour taste and large number of accompanying greens and herbs are quite refreshing to enjoy in the heat of the summer. Try this dish to see if you agree!
Tools
Since this is a noodle soup, you’re going to need the following kitchen gadget to create the best Vietnamese crab noodle soup:
Ingredients
Take a quick glance at the following list to see if you have the necessary ingredients for making this dish. While you can be flexible with the garnishes, make sure that you get the main ingredients right.
Instructions
If you’re familiar with cooking other Vietnamese noodle dishes, making this one will be a walk in the park. In case you’re not, well, there is a first time for everything. But stick to this guide, and you will find it easy anyway.
Step 1: Prepare The Ingredients For The Noodle Broth
Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Mince garlic and shallots. Remove the stem of each tomato, then cut the veggie through the middle part into wedges.
In a skillet, saute minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add the tomato wedges and stir well.
Make cashew curry oil by frying curry seeds in cashew oil for 3 – 4 minutes. When the mixture cools down, remove the solids and keep the oil.
Step 2: Prepare The Minced Crab Broth
Mix the minced crab with warm water. Remove the solids with a strainer and keep the liquid.
Pour the minced crab liquid into a stock pot and bring it to a boil. With a strainer, skim off the crab meat that floats to the surface and set aside. Take the stock pot off the stovetop.
Make cashew curry oil by frying curry seeds in cashew oil for 3 – 4 minutes. When the mixture cools down, remove the solids and keep the oil.
Step 3: Make The Crab Cake
Mix pork paste, minced pork, crab meat, and seasoning. Whisk the eggs and set some aside, then blend the rest with the crab mixture and stir well. Steam the mixture for 30 minutes. Brush the surface with the remaining eggs.
Step 4: Prepare The Broth
Fill the stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. When the water bubbles, add the pork bones, pork leg, and some salt to the pot. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes. Don’t put the lid on, and skim off the foam regularly.
Remove the pork bones and pork leg from the pot before pouring the crab broth, stir-fried tomatoes, tofu pieces, shrimp paste, cashew curry oil, scallion, and seasoning to taste.
Step 5: Prepare The Garnishes And Sauce
Make tamarind paste by diluting dried tamarind in warm water. Mix it with as much shrimp paste as your taste allows and some sugar (optional).
Cut cinnamon pork pate, pork leg, and crab cake into bite-sized pieces. Arrange them along with the sauce and the rest of the side dishes (fried shallots, vegetables, etc.) Put the rice noodles into your bowl, ladle enough broth into it, drizzle some sauce over the noodles, and enjoy!
Tips And Tricks For Cooking Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup At Home
Do you know what else you can do to cook and enjoy Vietnamese crab noodle soup more easily? Just pay attention to these little details:
Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup: People’s Food, People’s Choice
Once upon a time, Vietnamese crab noodle soup was made from the cheapest of ingredients and only enjoyed by the working class. Even as modern versions boast all kinds of meaty, expensive toppings, this delicacy still keeps its rustic charms that so many fall in love with.
Anyone who only spares a passing glance at its English name may mistake this as a seafood-based dish. But the essence of Vietnamese crab noodle soup comes from the fertile paddy fields that have raised generations of Vietnamese people.
Of course, it is difficult to feel those things with canned crab meat bought at a supermarket, but the deliciousness of this dish is easy to detect. Share with me what you think about this recipe in the comment section, and don’t forget to introduce this post to other people around you. Many thanks!
Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For The Broth
- 1 liter water
- 3 tomatoes, big
- 350 grams pork bones
- 200 grams pork leg
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 0.5 tablespoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoons cashew curry oil
- Garlic
For The Crab Cake
- 50 ml water
- 100 grams minced meat
- 100 grams pork paste
- 250 grams minced crab
- 2 eggs
- Minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoons salt
Others
- 500 grams rice noodles
- 2 servings tofu
- 180 grams cinnamon pork pate
- 200 grams water spinach, shredded
- 200 grams banana blossom, shredded
- Vegetables: Vietnamese balm, perilla, scallion, saw leaves, etc.
- Dried tamarind
- Fresh chili pepper
- Fried shallots (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Mince garlic and shallots.
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges. Saute them with minced garlic and olive oil for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Make cashew curry oil by frying curry seeds in cashew oil for 3 – 4 minutes. When the mixture cools down, remove the solids and keep the oil.
- Mix the minced crab with warm water. Remove the solids with a strainer and keep the liquid. Pour the minced crab liquid into a stock pot and bring it to a boil. With a strainer, skim off the crab meat that floats to the surface and set aside.
- Mix pork paste, minced pork, crab meat, and seasoning. Whisk the eggs and set some aside, then blend the rest with the crab mixture and stir well. Steam the mixture for 30 minutes. Brush the surface with the remaining eggs.
- Fill the stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the pork bones and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes. Skim off the foam regularly.
- Remove the pork bones from the pot before pouring the crab broth, stir-fried tomatoes, tofu, shrimp paste, cashew curry oil, scallion, and seasoning to taste.
- Parboil fresh rice noodles in hot water for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Make the sauce by diluting dried tamarind in warm water, then mix it with shrimp paste and some sugar (optional).
- Cut cinnamon pork pate, pork leg, and crab cake into bite-sized slices. Arrange them along with the sauce, other side dishes, and toppings. Serve and enjoy!
Tien – Alden
Content Writer
Expertise
Home Cooking, Recipe Development, Food Editor, Beverage Editor, Cooking-video Maker, Asian Food Content Creator
Education
Saigon Tourism College
Advanced Culinary Workshop, Beijing
Vietnamese Traditional Cooking School
American College of Vietnam
Alden is a skilled chef with expertise in Asian cuisines, known for blending traditional Vietnamese and Chinese cooking with contemporary innovations. Alden’s passion for Asian flavors and her creative approach to both food and beverages inspires fellow chefs and those aspiring to enter the field.