Creamy Crab and Tapioca Noodle Soup — Banh Canh Cua
Saigon thick tapioca noodle soup with lump crab meat, shrimp, and pork hock in a rich crab-tomato broth thickened to a silky pourable nap, served with scallion, cilantro, fried shallot, and a wedge of lime for finishing.
Vietnamese
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Mince shallot and garlic. Halve tomatoes into wedges. Slice scallion thin and chilli into rings; quarter limes. Pick cilantro leaves from stems. Whisk tapioca starch with 1/4 cup cold water until smooth.
Boil
Bring pork hock with 1.5 L cold water to a rolling boil over high heat 5 minutes. Drain, rinse hock under cold water until clean, return to a clean pot with 1.5 L fresh water.
Simmer
Bring pork and water to a gentle simmer over low heat 35 minutes uncovered, skimming surface scum every 10 minutes until broth clears and hock is fork-tender at the bone.
Build 1
Steep annatto seeds in 2 tbsp oil over low heat 4 minutes until oil turns brick-red. Strain off heat into a small bowl. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium 1 minute, add shallot and garlic 1 minute until fragrant, stir in tomato paste 1 minute until darkened and raw smell mellows.
Build 2
Tip aromatics into pork broth over high heat with tomato wedges, fish sauce, brown sugar, white pepper, salt, and annatto oil. Simmer 8 minutes until tomato softens and broth deepens in colour.
Boil
While broth simmers, boil tapioca noodles in a separate pot over high heat 5 minutes, drain. Stir tapioca slurry into broth over high heat 1 minute until silky thick. Slide shrimp and crab in 90 seconds until opaque.
Plate
Ladle broth with shrimp and crab over noodles. Scatter scallion, cilantro, and fried shallot on top. Serve with lime wedge and chilli rings alongside.
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