Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu from Scratch)

Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (bún riêu from scratch)

What is Traditional Bun Rieu?

Traditional Bún Riêu is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup with a stock base of tomatoes and rice paddy crabs. The small rice paddy crabs get pounded into a paste, with shells and all. It then gets mixed with water and sieved, leaving the hard shell behind. The crab paddy water, now with only small pieces of crab meats gets cooked into a flavorful broth. The trace amount of meat from the rice paddy crabs floats to the top like sea foam, which in Vietnamese, translates to Riêu.

As a result, traditional Bún Riêu is a very light and refreshing noodle soup. It simply contains rice paddy crabs, tomatoes, and fried tofu. Over time, it has evolved to be more substantial with added bones and toppings.

If you travel to the rural area of Vietnam, you may still find very traditional and simple Bún Riêu. However, a heartier version is what you most likely find in restaurants nowadays.

A Heartier Bun Rieu

In this recipe, we will be making a heartier version. This is a Bún Riêu recipe with added pork hocks, pork cake, and meatballs made from crab and shrimp. This popular Vietnamese noodle soup dish is mainly flavored with fermented shrimp paste and served with the highly prized water spinach, also known as Morning Glory, Rau Muống in Vietnamese and Ong Choy in Cantonese.

Also in this recipe, we are skipping the jarred minced crab in spices that is often used as a western shortcut for the red color and cheap alternative to crab. We will be using fresh shrimp with heads. The head fat from prawns will provide a beautiful red color and rich flavor to the broth.

And we will also be using fresh crab. It’s not the most economical of recipes, but it sure is delicious.

Pork blood, pork hocks/pig’s feet, scallions/green onions, and ginger

What You Will Need

Tomatoes — Use your ripest tomatoes for this recipe to get the most beautiful red color for your 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 smell if not prepped properly. It's best to blanch them in water with aromatics before using them in any recipe.

Ginger, garlic, shallots — These are the aromatics we will be using.

Fermented Shrimp Paste (Mắm Ruốc) — This is the main salty umami flavoring agent. Look for a jar that says Mắm Ruốc instead of Mắm Tôm. However, 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 so just omit if you don’t use MSG and we will leave it at that.

Fried tofu — You can find fried tofu in either the refrigerator and freezer sections of Asian grocery stores. If 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 until golden brown on all sides with neutral oil.

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 to the broth. The rest of the shrimp in the meatballs (riêu).

Crab meat — I’m using the 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’m using only a third of it so I can save the rest for another recipe.

Eggs — Our binding agent for meatballs. Disclaimer: we are actually not making balls of any kind. We are simply make a large sheet of crab and shrimp, which we will break off into “meatballs” when ready to serve.

Cooked pork blood — This is optional, but I love having pork blood or blood cake with my Bún Riêu.

Garnishes — You can’t have a pretty bowl without garnishes. You can use a combination of thinly sliced scallions/green onions, cilantro, and/or yellow onions.

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, simply use finely shred white/purple cabbage instead.

Lemon/limes — A freshly squeeze of lemon or lime juice just makes everything better.

Rice noodles — My favorite rice noodles are made from the same brand as my favorite rice. I love either Three Ladies, Buddha, or Dragon Fly. Look for medium-size rice noodles. Unfortunately, they don’t label medium-sized rice noodles. So look for ones that aren’t labeled thin/bean-thread noodles or thick. The unlabeled size noodles are usually your medium noodles.

Vietnamese Crab, Shrimp, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup (bún riêu before broth)

Yield 6Author Vicky PhamPrep time15 MinCook time1 H & 15 MTotal time1 H & 30 M

Vietnamese Crab & Tomato Noodle Soup (Bún Riêu from Scratch with Added Pork Hocks)

A delicious and authentic Bún Riêu recipe, all from scratch, with added pork hocks, pork blood, and crab/shrimp meatballs. In this recipe, we are skipping the jarred or canned spiced crab and making it all with fresh crab and shrimp.

Ingredients

Broth

• 2 lbs pork hocks (cut into bite-size pieces)
• 10 large shrimp/prawns with heads
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
• 2-inch ginger (leave unpeeled; slice into thick coins)
• 4 large shallots (peel and slice into thick wedges)
• 5 garlic cloves (peel and slice)
• 3-¾ quarts water
• 1 cup fresh crab meat
• 3 whole eggs (beaten)
• 4 large ripe tomatoes (about 1-½ lbs, cut into large wedges)
• 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon MSG (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fermented shrimp sauce (mắm ruốc)
• 1 lb fried tofu cubes

Vegetables/Rice Noodles/Pork Blood

• 1 lb dried rice noodles (cook per package instructions)
• Sliced green onions
• Sliced yellow onions
• Thinly chopped cilantro
• Shredded water spinach (Rau Muống/Ong Choy)
• Thinly sliced green/purple cabbage
• Other Vietnamese herbs (perilla, sorrell, mint)
• Lemon/lime wedges
• Cooked pork blood (optional)

Instructions

1. 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 and return it to the stove.
2. 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. Finely chop the shrimp into a paste using a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop it with a knife until it turns to a paste.
3. To the bottom of the stockpot from earlier, heat vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) on medium-high. Add half the remaining shallots and half of the garlic. Pan fry until aromatic (about 15 seconds). Add the 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. Add water (3-¾ quarts) to the pot and blanched pork hocks. Cook on a low simmer for one hour or until pork hocks can be easily pierced with a chopstick.
4. 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 meat and continue to cook the stock pot on medium-low.
5. 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 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.
6. 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.
7. Assemble: To a bowl, add a handful of cooked rice noodles, pork hocks, a piece of the crab mixture, a few pieces of fried tofu, and pork blood. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onions/yellow onion/cilantro and a squeeze of lemon/lime. Serve with additional shrimp paste on the side.

Recommended Products:

Stainless Steel Stockpot, 5-QuartSkillet with Lid, Titanium Nonstick, 12-Inch

Nutrition Facts

Calories

1006

Fat

48

Sat. Fat

15

Carbs

77

Fiber

4

Net carbs

73

Sugar

7

Protein

62

Sodium

2317

Cholesterol

265

The values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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