Name: Vietnamese Crab and Pork Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu) Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 50 g shallots; 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil; 2 lb tomatoes; 1 tsp shrimp paste; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp rock sugar; 4 tbsp ketchup; 43 1⁄2 fl oz chicken broth; 43 1⁄2 fl oz water; 2 tsp monosodium glutamate seasoning; 25 g shallot; 1⁄8 lb raw shrimp; 2⁄3 lb ground pork; 5.6 fl oz prawn; 57 g crab; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp pepper; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 5 green onions stalks; 1 lb tofu; 1⁄2 lb raw bean sprouts; kinh gioi; mint; tia to; shrimp paste; lime; 4 thai chiles; 1 lb dried rice vermicelli sticks

bun rieu in a white bowl with tomatoes and fresh veggies

How To Make Vietnamese Crab and Pork Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)

Meat, seafood, and vegetable come together in this bun rieu recipe. This Vietnamese noodle soup dish has meatballs made of pork, shrimp, and crab.

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 1 hr 30 mins

Total: 2 hrs

Serves:

Ingredients

For Soup:

50 g shallots, about four large cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
2 lb tomatoes, quartered (any type)
1 tsp shrimp paste, Lee Kum Kee, fermented, diluted in a small bowl w a bit of water for even dispersion
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp rock sugar, granulated is ok too
4 tbsp ketchup
43 1⁄2 fl oz chicken broth, or make your own broth with water and 1 lb pork ribs
43 1⁄2 fl oz water
2 tsp monosodium glutamate seasoning

For Meatballs:

25 g shallot, sliced, (about two large cloves)
1⁄8 lb raw shrimp, shells removed, deveined.
2⁄3 lb ground pork
5.6 fl oz prawn , canned, minced, or minced crab with spices. Lee brand
57 g crab, steamed or canned, optional. If using frozen or canned, lightly squeeze to remove excess moisture.
2 large eggs
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
5 green onions stalks, cut into 1.5″ pieces

For Accoutrement (All Optional):

1 lb tofu, deep fried
1⁄2 lb raw bean sprouts
kinh gioi, Vietnamese balm, (1 bunch)
mint, (1 bunch)
tia to, purple perilla, (1 bunch)
shrimp paste, on the side
lime, sliced
4 thai chiles

For Noodles:.

1 lb dried rice vermicelli sticks, small noodle size. Thap Chua brand (but any will do)

Instructions

Cook noodles according to package instructions, split between 4 to 5 bowls.

Soup:

Thinly slice shallots, add oil to a pan and saute until light brown.
Add quartered tomatoes, stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes until slightly soft.
Add shallots, tomatoes, and all remaining soup ingredients into a large pot.
Raise to high heat until it hits a boil, and boils for five minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low or low, so it maintains a low boil while working on the Riêu.

Meatballs:

Add shallots into a small food processor, pulse until finely chopped.
Add shrimp, pulse 5 to 6 times.
Add remaining ingredients (except crab and green onion) and pulse a few times until evenly mixed.
Pour into a mixing bowl, add crab and lightly mix with a spoon.
Using a soup spoon, scoop 1 to 2 tablespoon size meat balls into the pot.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then drop heat to a low boil. At most it should take 20 minutes to cook the meatballs all the way through. Check doneness by breaking a meatball in half to make sure its not soft or raw inside.
During the last five minutes of cooking, drop in the chopped green onion so it slightly softens