During summer, I’m blessed with loads of beautiful tomatoes homegrown by my daughter-in-law. It’s such a treat to cook and eat fresh juicy tomatoes! In my previous posts, I have shared recipes to make a gorgeous Fresh Tomato Tart, Rao’s Meat Balls with Marinara Sauce.
What is Bun Rieu?
Bun means rice vermicelli in Vietnamese and Rieu means sea foam. It’s a metaphor describing the crab/shrimp and meat balls that float to the surface of the broth, resembling spume. There are many types of Bun Rieu made with crab, meat, snails, fish as well as various ways to prepare it. Traditionally, it’s a labor intensive dish, using small crabs from rice paddies that are hand pounded in a mortar and pestle until completely crushed, to form the patties. In this version, I simply use a combination of canned crab meat, available in the refrigerated aisle in Costco, or other stores. minced crab in spices from Asian stores (or see below Amazon link), minced meat (you can use either minced pork or minced chicken) and prawns. Some recipes call for dry shrimps but personally, I prefer to use fresh prawns.
Anatto Seed Oil?
At home, I always have on hand anatto seed oil which gives the red color to the broth. It’s simple to make – For 1/4 cup neutral oil (like corn oil) use about 4 teaspoons of anatto seeds. First wash the seeds and spread them on a kitchen paper towel and pat them dry. Put the seeds and the oil in a microwave proof bowl and heat for 1-1/2 minute on high. Take out, stir, put it back in the microwave and heat for another minute on high. The oil would turn red. Let cool, remove the seeds and store the oil in an airtight jar. It should keep in the refrigerator for a month. But for this recipe, you could skip the anatto oil if you wish and add 1 tablespoon of ketchup. Wait a minute, I hear you think, how can a Vietnamese recipe be authentic if using Ketchup? Ketchup has red color, is a little salty, sweet and acidic and is now used in many Asian recipes including the Singaporean Chili Crab. There’s no shame in adding ketchup, it really enhances the taste of the broth!
Shortcuts – Because we’re all busy!
Since I don’t wish to slave away in the kitchen, I have made the recipe simpler and easier without sacrificing the flavor. For example, the traditional recipe calls for a pork broth made with pork spare ribs, which need to be parboiled, washed to remove impurities and boiled again. It’s fine to use instead chicken broth or pork broth. In Vietnamese cooking, chicken broth is often used interchangeably with pork broth (but not vice versa).
To make this dish, I’m using my trusted Instant Pot (which you could get here via Amazon, there are great deals going on) so I don’t need to stand around to stir the pot or to make sure the broth does not over boil… But you can perfectly make this dish in a regular pot on the stove, adjust the cooking time to around 30 minutes (after the broth boils, lower the heat to simmer, and cook for 25 minutes).
Another time saving tip: for the rice vermicelli, you can cook according to the package instructions usually blanch in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. However, I’ll share with you a tip from my sister in Paris – a few hours before cooking the dish, soak the dry rice vermicelli in a large bowl of water with a tablespoon of salt. This way, when you are ready to cook, bring a pot of water to boiling, throw in the soaked vermicelli and quickly stir (for around a minute), taste to make sure it’s tender but on the al dente side, remove and drain in a colander and rinse with running water. This way, you don’t need to wait in front of the stove for 8 to 10 minutes.
Bun Rieu or Vietnamese Crab Noodles Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot (optional)
Ingredients
- 6 Fresh tomatoes, each cut into quarters
- 2 large Shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tbspn neutral oil (like corn oil) or use oil from the canned crab meat in spices
- 10 cups Chicken broth, unsalted
- 1 to 2 tbspn rock sugar
- 1 cube Bun Rieu seasoning
- 1 tspn Fermented Shrimp Paste diluted in warm water (optional)
- 4 tbspn Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Anetto Oil (or add 1 tbspn Ketchup)
- 1 tbspn Fish sauce, to taste
Crab Mixture
- 1/2 lb 220 g minced pork
- 1/4 lb 110 g fresh prawns, washed, deveined
- 1/4 lb 110 g crab meat
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large shallots, minced
- 7 oz 200 g minced crab in spices
- 1 tspn pepper
- 1 tspn sugar
- 1 tbspn fish sauce
Garnish
- 1/2 lb 220 g fried tofu
- 1/2 lb 220 g bean sprouts
- 1 bunch morning glory or water spinach stems.
- 1 bunch assorted herbs such as Purple perilla (tia to), mint, Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi), basil
- 2 Limes, sliced
- 2 Thai chilis, sliced
- 1 lb dry rice vermicelli
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute mode, add the oil. When hot, add the shallots and garlic and stir fry till fragrant. Add the sliced tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove the sliced tomatoes and set aside (the shallots and garlic remain in the instant pot). Cancel the saute setting.
- Add the chicken broth, sugar, ketchup, Bun Rieu seasoning cube, anetto oil (if used), fish sauce. Close the Instant Pot lid, the knob is in shut position, and set to "Soup / Broth" function (cooking time is usually 20 minutes).
- In the meantime, wash the deveined prawns (I rinse them with a little white vinegar and water), pat dry. In a food processor (I use a Magic Bullet), add the prawns and shallots and pulse 4 to 5 times till the prawns form a paste. Remove to a bowl with a spatula, add the minced pork, the crab meat, and half can of crab in spices, seasoning, stir well. Add 2 eggs, mix well. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use.
- Prepare the vermicelli according to the package instructions or use my time-saving tip if you wish. Divide the vermicelli into 4 to 5 bowls. Divide the fried tomatoes wedges among the bowls.
- Wash and display the herbs. Slice the limes and Thai chilis
- If using the water spinach stems, you need to split the stems – There's a Vietnamese knife gadget for this purpose, or use a peeler. Soak the split stems in water with a squeeze of lemon to keep them green and fresh, until ready to serve.
- When the soup is ready, remove the lid, taste and adjust seasoning. The broth should taste a little salty, sweet and sour. Set on saute function till the broth is boiling, add the fried tofu, and with a large spoon, scoop a ball of the crab, shrimp and meat mixture and add to the boiling broth, repeat for the remaining mixture (there should be around 12 mixture balls). At first the mixture balls will sink in the boiling broth. When cooked, they will rise to the surface, it takes usually 15 to 20 minutes. Test 1 ball for doneness.
- Laddle the soup, tofu and crab and meat balls into each bowl of vermicell. Serve piping hot with the garnish.
How to enjoy Bun Rieu
To enjoy, add the herbs, a squeeze of lime, a few slices of chili if you like it spicy… It’s really delicious and hearty.
Some people like to serve extra shrimp paste on the side for a funkier taste, but we prefer not too.
Related Products
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All the ingredients in this recipe are available from most Asian supermarkets. But if there’s no store nearby, you can order online via Amazon. However, my neighborhood Asian store carries freshly fried tofu, which is really delicious, but this is not available online. The closest tofu or beancurd that I can find on Amazon is the one below, which could work… For the rice noodles, since there is a variety of noodles online, for this dish, please make sure to get the fine rice vermicelli type as below.
2.64oz Bao Long Bun Rieu Soup Seasoning Cubes (Pack of 1)
To get more information or to buy click here
Por Kwan Mince Crab in Spices, 14 Ounce Can, Canned Minced Crab
To get more information or buy, click here
Wildwood, Savory Baked Tofu, 7 oz
To get more information or buy, click here
Fine Rice Noodles, Vermicelli, All Natural, No Preservatives, Vegan and Gluten-Free, Certified Kosher, 8.8oz Container (Single)
To get more information or to buy click here
Hong Kong Baked Pork Chops
It was amazingly fresh, super light and a perfect flavorful meal!