Crab and Tofu Vermicelli Noodle Soup

Name: Crab and Tofu Vermicelli Noodle Soup
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 lb (907 g) rice field crabs; 1½ tsp salt, divided; 4 tbsp (60 g) fermented shrimp sauce (mắm tôm), divided; 4 tbsp (60 g) fermented shrimp sauce (mắm tôm), divided; 3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil; 3 shallots, thinly sliced; ½ tsp annatto powder or paprika; ½ tsp annatto powder or paprika; 3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges; 1 tsp chicken stock powder, plus more to taste; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce, plus more to taste; 4 cups (1 qt, or 1 L) pork broth or water (see pork broth recipe in Pork and Mushroom Vermicelli Noodle Soup); 4 cups (1 qt, or 1 L) pork broth or water (see pork broth recipe in Pork and Mushroom Vermicelli Noodle Soup); 4 cups (1 qt, or 1 L) pork broth or water (see pork broth recipe in Pork and Mushroom Vermicelli Noodle Soup); 3 tbsp (35 g) dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained; 3 tbsp (35 g) dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained; ⅓ cup (160 ml) cold water; 1 cup (225 g) fried tofu puffs (you can buy these or fry them yourself); 1 cup (225 g) fried tofu puffs (you can buy these or fry them yourself); 2 lb (907 g) fresh or cooked rice vermicelli noodles; 2 lb (907 g) fresh or cooked rice vermicelli noodles; ½ cup (50 g) chopped scallion; ½ cup (30 g) chopped cilantro; 1 head leaf or iceberg lettuce, shredded; 1 head leaf or iceberg lettuce, shredded; 3 sprigs perilla or Vietnamese balm, stems removed and; 3 sprigs perilla or Vietnamese balm, stems removed and

Preparation info

Yield:
6 to 8
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
2 hr

Appears in

Simply Pho

By Helen Le

Published 2017

About

If you’ve tried this soup (bún riêu cua) outside of Vietnam, it was probably not authentic; the real bún riêu cua has to be made from rice field crabs, which are mostly only available in Vietnam and a few other countries that grow rice. They are smaller than three inches (7.5 cm) and live in rice fields to feed off young rice. As they are so small, there is not much meat on them to eat, but the Vietnamese invented this method of cooking the crabs to get the most

Ingredients

Asia
Vietnam
Soup
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method