Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu from Scratch)
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Bún riêu is a popular Vietnamese noodle soup featuring a tomato-based broth and round rice vermicelli noodles.
This noodle soup has several varieties based on the protein used. Some include crab (bún riêu cua), snails (bún riêu ốc), fish (bún riêu cá), and a vegetarian version made with tofu (bún riêu chay or bún riêu đậu hủ).
Seasoned with the distinctive flavor of fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc), bún riêu is often served with a platter of fresh vegetables, herbs, chili peppers and fresh limes.
Traditional Bun Rieu
A old school traditional version of bún riêu features a stock base featuring rice paddy crabs that are prepared in a very special way.
Small rice paddy crabs are pounded into a paste, mixed with water, and then transferred to a pot, leaving the hard shells behind.
The resulting crab-infused water, now containing small pieces of crab meat, is cooked with tomatoes into a flavorful broth.
The trace amounts of crab meat floats to the top when cooked, like a sheet of crab cake. It gets broken off into small chunks and used as a topping, along with fried tofu.
Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (bún riêu from scratch). I can’t believe I forgot to add the fried tofu. Doh.
This originally yielded a light noodle soup. Over time, the dish has evolved to include added bones and additional toppings for a heartier version.
While you can still encounter the traditional and simple bún riêu in rural areas of Vietnam, restaurants today typically serve a more substantial version.
Fried tofu, tomatoes, rice noodles, and aromatics
A Heartier Bun Rieu
In this recipe, we will be making a heartier version of bún riêu with added pork hocks, blood cake, and crab cakes made from fresh crab and shrimp.
We are also skipping the jarred minced crab in spices that is often used as a western shortcut for the red color and cheaper alternative to crab. Instead, we will be using whole shrimp/prawns with heads. The roe in the shrimp heads provide a beautiful red color and rich flavor to the broth, while the rest of the shrimp will be added into the crab cake.
Pork blood, pork hocks/pig’s feet, scallions/green onions, and ginger
What You Will Need
To make this version of bún riêu, gather the following ingredients:
Tomatoes — Use very ripe tomatoes to get a more vibrant red color for the broth.
Pork hocks/pigs feet — This will be used to make the broth richer, as well as add additional protein to the dish. Pork hocks can have a lingering foul barn-yardy smell if they are not cleaned properly. It's best to blanch them in water with aromatics before using them in any recipe. These extra steps are also included in the below recipe.
Ginger, garlic, shallots — The aromatics we will be using.
Fermented Shrimp Paste (Mắm Ruốc) — The main salty umami flavoring agent. Look for a jar that says Mắm Ruốc instead of Mắm Tôm. If you can’t find Mắm Ruốc, Mắm Tôm will do.
Salt, ground black pepper, sugar, MSG — These are other seasonings we will be using to turn the stock into a wonderful broth. MSG is optional.
Fried tofu — You can find fried tofu in either the refrigerator or freezer sections of many Asian grocery stores. If you can’t locate fried tofu, you can fry your own tofu using firm tofu. Drain them thoroughly and towel dry. Cut them into small blocks then pan fry with neutral oil until golden brown on all sides.
Large shrimp/prawns with head — We will be using both the head and body of the shrimp. The head fat (that orange gooey stuff) will provide a beautiful red color and wonderful flavor to the broth. The rest of the shrimp will be mixed with the crab meat to make crab cake.
Crab meat — I’m using fresh crab meat from Costco that typically comes in a small tub. It also costs an arm and a leg so be mentally prepared for that. Thankfully, I only need a third of it for this recipe so I can save the rest for another dish.
Eggs — Our binding agent for the crab/shrimp cake so it’s light and airy.
Pork blood/cake — This is optional, but I love pork blood (also known as blood cake when cooked) with my bún riêu. This also needs to be prepared separately from the stock or you can get them already cooked at Asian markets in the refrigerated section.
Garnishes — You can use a combination of thinly sliced scallions/green onions, cilantro, and/or yellow onions to top the noodles for a beautiful finish. Fresh limes or lemons wedges are also served on the side.
Water spinach — Also known as Rau Muống in Vietnamese and Ong Choy in Cantonese. The tubular stem is the highly prized part of the water spinach and a must-have vegetable to eat with Bún Riêu. It’s normally shredded into thin strips using this cool gadget. Water spinach can get pricey in the colder months or not even be available. If that’s the case, use finely shred white/purple cabbage instead.
Other Vietnamese herbs — A collection of herbs is known Rau Thơm in Vietnamese. For bún riêu, you can use the following herbs: perilla (tía tô), spearmint (húng lũi), Vietnamese balm (kinh giới), fish mint (diếp cá), and sorrel (rau chua).
Round rice noodles — My favorite rice noodles are made from the same brand as my favorite rice, which is either Three Ladies, Buddha, or Dragon Fly. Look for medium-size rice noodles, which often aren’t labeled unfortunately. So look for ones that aren’t labeled as thin/bean-thread or thick. The unlabeled size noodles are usually the medium noodles.
My favorite medium-size rice noodles. Three Ladies Brand.
Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (bún riêu before broth)
Related Posts
Want the other version of the recipe using dried shrimp and the jarred crab in spices? Click here.
Other Vietnamese noodle dishes you might like:
Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu from Scratch with Added Pork Hocks)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Clean the pork: Fill a 5-quart stock pot half way with water and bring the pot to a boil. Add ginger slices and a third of the sliced shallots. Let the pot simmer for 5 minutes until shallots and ginger release their aroma. Add pork hocks. Blanch for 5 minutes or until impurities (foam) float to the top. Drain the content of the pot into a colander in a sink and rinse well with water. Wash the stock pot thoroughly to reuse.
- Prep the shrimp/prawn: Separate the heads from the body with a gentle twist to keep the head fat intact. Set the shrimp heads aside. Peel and devein the shrimp, then finely chop with a food processor until it turns into a paste. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop with a knife or place it in a Ziploc bag and smash it with something heavy, such as a rolling pin.
- To the bottom of the stock pot from earlier, heat vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) on medium-high. Add half of the remaining shallots and half of the garlic. Pan fry until aromatic (about 15 seconds). Add shrimp heads and toss them with the aromatics. Using a wooden spoon or any other cooking utensil, smash the shrimp heads so that they release the head fat. The head fat will give the broth a beautiful red color, as well as add flavor to the broth. Add water (3-¾ quarts) to the pot and pork hocks. Cook on a low simmer for one hour or until pork hocks can be easily pierced with a chopstick.
- Make the crab and shrimp meatballs (riêu). Mix fresh crab meat, shrimp paste, and beaten eggs together. Season with ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Crank up the heat on the stockpot to a rolling boil and gently slide the mixture across the top of the stock. The high heat will quickly cook up the mixture and keep it together in one large sheet. Turn down the heat and continue to cook the stock pot on medium-low.
- Prepare the tomatoes. In a medium-sized skillet, heat up the remaining vegetable oil (1 tablespoon) on medium-high. Add the last of the garlic and shallots. Pan fry until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Add tomatoes and pan fry until it starts to soften. Scoot the crab and shrimp meatballs to one side of the stock pot and to the other side, carefully pour in the tomato mixture. Add fried tofu to the stockpot as well. Let the stock continue to cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes for the flavors to meld.
- Season stock to taste with salt, sugar, fish sauce, MSG (optional), and fermented shrimp paste. Break up the shrimp paste with a bit of stock water before adding it to the pot.
- Assemble: To a bowl, add a handful of cooked rice noodles, pork hocks, a few pieces of the crab mixture, fried tofu, and pork blood. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onions, cilantro, and/or a few slices of yellow onions. Serve with your favorite vegetables, lemons or limes wedges, and additional shrimp paste on the side.
