Vietnamese · Dinner
Crab and Tomato Vermicelli Soup
Bun Rieu Cua
Northern Vietnamese rich crab and tomato vermicelli soup with floating crab-and-pork rieu dumplings in a tangy fermented-rice broth, served over rice noodles with banana blossom, perilla, mint, and a dash of shrimp paste.
$$$
20 minsPrep
70 minsCook
90 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
16gFat
52gCarbs
8gSugar
4gFiber
780mgSodium
120mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Mince shallot and garlic. Halve tomatoes, scoop seeds, chop fine. Slice scallion, chillies into rings, banana blossom thin, quarter limes. Pick herb leaves from stems. Whisk crab, pork, eggs, half shallot and garlic, fish sauce, white pepper until sticky and uniform.
2
Build 1
Steep annatto seeds in 2 tbsp oil over low heat 4 minutes until oil turns brick-red. Strain off heat into a bowl, set aside to colour the broth.
3
Saute
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over medium 1 minute. Add remaining shallot and garlic 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste 1 minute until darkened and raw smell mellows.
4
Simmer
Add chopped tomato, stock, fermented rice, brown sugar over high heat to a boil. Drop to gentle simmer 30 minutes until broth turns tangy, tomato breaks down into cloudy red soup.
5
Poach
Drop tablespoon-sized rieu mixture into simmering broth over low heat 8–10 minutes until rieu floats and turns spongy. Stir in shrimp paste, salt, annatto oil. While broth simmers, boil vermicelli separately 4 minutes, drain.
6
Plate
Pile vermicelli in deep bowls. Ladle hot rieu broth over, scatter scallion, herbs, banana blossom, sprouts, chilli. Serve lime alongside for squeezing.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 400g (14.1 oz) lump crab meat
- 240g (8.5 oz) ground pork shoulder
- 2 large eggs
- 60g (2.1 oz) shallot
- 8 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 600g (21.2 oz) ripe tomato
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp annatto seeds
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1.5 L (6 cup) chicken stock
- 1/4 cup Vietnamese fermented rice
- 2 tsp shrimp paste
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 300g (10.6 oz) dried rice vermicelli
- 40g (small handful) scallion
- 120g (4.2 oz) banana blossom
- 120g (4.2 oz) bean sprouts
- 20g (small handful) perilla leaves
- 16g (small handful) Vietnamese mint
- 2 fresh red bird chillies
- 2 limes