Canh Bún (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup with Water Spinach)

Name: Canh Bún (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup with Water Spinach)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 1 pound pork ribs; ⅛ cup dried shrimps; 1 bulb onion; 1 talk lemongrass; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tbsp rock sugar; 1 tbsp chicken powder; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 8.5 cup water; 3 tomatoes; 1 bulb shallot; 1 tbsp paprika powder; 3 tbsp cooking oil; fried tofu; 1 pound ground pork; ⅛ cup dried shrimps; 4.4 oz crab meat; 4 tbsp canned crab paste (Bún Riêu Cua seasoning); 1-3 eggs; fish sauce; sugar; 1 package Bún Bò Huế Thick Rice Noodles; 1 bunch Water Spinach (Ong Choy); Mắm Tôm (fermented shrimp paste); tamarind sauce; lime/lemon; green onion; cilantro

User Reviews

5.0

9 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Servings
4 people
Course
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine
Vietnamese

Canh Bún (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup with Water Spinach)

Gael Pickett

Report

Canh Bún is a humble, rustic Vietnamese noodle soup with crab and water spinach. It's beloved throughout Vietnam from the North to the South. Luckily, cooking Canh Bún at home is a breeze.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

9 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

Broth

1 pound pork ribs (450g)
⅛ cup dried shrimps (30g)
1 bulb onion
1 talk lemongrass (optional)
1 tbsp salt (to your taste)
1 tbsp rock sugar (15g) (granulated sugar is ok)
1 tbsp chicken powder (to your taste)
3 tbsp fish sauce (to your taste)
8.5 cup water (2 litesr)
3 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
1 bulb shallot (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp paprika powder
3 tbsp cooking oil
fried tofu

Crab Paste (Riêu Cua)

1 pound ground pork (450g)
⅛ cup dried shrimps (30g)
4.4 oz crab meat (125g) (optional)
4 tbsp canned crab paste (Bún Riêu Cua seasoning)
1-3 eggs
fish sauce (to your taste)
sugar (to your taste)

Other ingredients

1 package Bún Bò Huế Thick Rice Noodles
1 bunch Water Spinach (Ong Choy)
Mắm Tôm (fermented shrimp paste)
tamarind sauce (optional)
lime/lemon (cut into wedges)
green onion
cilantro

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Prepare the broth:

Wash the dried shrimps.
Parboil the pork ribs with some salt, then thoroughly wash and rinse them.
Put the pork ribs back to the pot along with water, onion, lemongrass, dried shrimps, salt, and rock sugar. Simmer over medium-low heat for one hour, making sure to skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
In a pan, heat some cooking oil and 1 tablespoon of paprika powder over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes to infuse the red color from the paprika powder into the oil.
Add the sliced shallot and sauté until fragrant, then add 2/3 of the tomato wedges. Stir-fry the tomato with some fish sauce until they are soft and fully cooked.
Transfer all the tomatoes to the broth. Don't forget to scrape all the tomato sauce from the pan—it's the golden liquid.
Finally, add the fried tofu to the broth.

Prepare the crab paste (riêu cua):

Rinse the dried shrimps and soak them in water until they become plump and soft. Drain the shrimps, and add the soaking water to the broth.
Blend the shrimps in a food processor until they get a cotton floss-like texture.
Mix ground pork, dried shrimp, crab meat, crab paste, and eggs in a bowl. Season the mixture with fish sauce and sugar. To taste, microwave a small portion and adjust seasoning as needed. If not using immediately, refrigerate.
With two spoons, scoop the crab paste and gently drop it into the simmering broth over medium-low heat. Riêu cua is ready when it floats to the surface. Add the remaining tomato wedges to the broth.
Season the broth with fish sauce and chicken powder. Keep in mind that the broth should have a slightly saltier flavor than desired as it will dilute when served with noodles.

Cook rice noodles:

Thicker rice noodles require a longer cooking time than regular ones (at least 30 minutes), so I suggest soaking them for at least 2 hours beforehand.
When cooking the rice noodles, ensure you use COLD WATER to prevent them from breaking easily. Remember to taste the noodles every few minutes to check their doneness.
After cooking, rinse the noodles thoroughly in cold water several times until the water runs clear. Drain the noodles well before serving.

Blanch water spinach:

Cut the water spinach into pieces that are 8 inches (20cm) long.
Wash the vegetables in water with couple of soaks and rinses.
In a pot, add salt to the water and blanch the water spinach in boiling water for about 1 minute.

Serve:

In serving bowls, place the rice noodles, followed by pork ribs, crab paste, tofu, water spinach, and tomato. Pour the broth over the noodles. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.
Adjust the flavor with mắm tôm and tamarind sauce (or lime) according to your preference. Enjoy!