Bún Riêu 越式蟹膏檬

Bún Riêu is a traditional Vietnamese sour crab noodle soup, often made with a rich broth, a flavorful crab and pork mixture, tomatoes, fried tofu, and garnished with fresh herbs. It's known for its unique umami and slightly tangy taste.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork spareribs or pork bones
• 50g dried shrimp
• 3-4 liters water
• 30g rock sugar
• 80ml fish sauce
• 10g salt
• 300g ground pork
• 100g Vietnamese crab paste (mắm riêu cua)
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste (mắm ruốc)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 200g fried tofu puffs, halved
• 300g pork blood jelly, cut into 2cm cubes
• 500g fresh rice vermicelli (bún) or dried vermicelli, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 bunch perilla leaves
• 1 bunch mint leaves
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 200g bean sprouts
• 2 limes, quartered
• 2-3 chilies, sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp black pepper

Steps

1. Prepare the pork broth: Rinse pork spareribs/bones thoroughly. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, then blanch the pork for 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse the pork again. Return the pork to the pot with 3-4 liters of fresh water, add half of the dried shrimp, rock sugar, 20ml fish sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 60 minutes, skimming off any foam.
2. Prepare the crab mixture (riêu cua): In a bowl, combine ground pork, remaining dried shrimp (finely minced), Vietnamese crab paste, shrimp paste, eggs, and 30ml fish sauce. Mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Sauté aromatics and tomatoes: In a separate pan, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and sliced shallots until fragrant. Add quartered tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for 5-7 minutes until tomatoes soften and release their juices. Add 30ml fish sauce. Mash some of the tomatoes to create a thicker base.
4. Combine and cook the soup: Pour the sautéed tomato mixture into the simmering pork broth. Bring to a gentle boil. Carefully drop spoonfuls of the crab mixture into the broth; they will form small patties as they cook. Add fried tofu puffs and pork blood jelly. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes to ensure all flavors meld and the crab patties are cooked through. Season with black pepper.
5. Prepare vermicelli and garnishes: While the soup simmers, prepare the rice vermicelli according to package instructions. Wash and prepare the fresh herbs (perilla, mint, cilantro), bean sprouts, and slice the limes and chilies.
6. Serve: Ladle hot Bún Riêu soup into bowls over prepared rice vermicelli. Garnish generously with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and sliced chilies. Serve immediately.

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