Bún Riêu (Vietnamese Crab, Pork & Tomato Noodle Soup)

• servings: 5 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

50 g shallots (about four large cloves, thinly sliced)

2 tbsp neutral cooking oil

2 lb tomatoes (quartered (any type))

1 tsp fermented shrimp paste - Lee Kum Kee (diluted in a small bowl w a bit of water for even dispersion)

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

1-2 tbsp rock sugar (granulated is ok too)

4 tbsp ketchup

43 ½ oz chicken broth (or make your own broth with water and 1 lb pork ribs)

43 ½ oz water

1-2 tsp monosodium glutamate seasoning

25 g shallot (sliced (about two large cloves))

1/8 lb raw shrimp (shells removed, deveined.)

2/3 lb ground pork

5 ⅗ oz canned minced prawn

57 g steamed or canned crab (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 stalks green onions (cut into 1.5" pieces)

1 lb deep fried tofu

1/2 lb raw bean sprouts

1 bunch kinh gioi / Vietnamese balm

1 bunch mint

1 bunch tia to / purple perilla

shrimp paste on the side

sliced limes

4 thai chiles

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

Directions

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

Soup

Thinly slice shallots, add oil to a pan and saute until light brown.

Add quartered tomatoes, stir fry for 3-5 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 you work on the Riêu.

Riêu / Gach / Meatballs

Add shallots into a small food processor, pulse until finely chopped.

Add shrimp, pulse 5-6 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 1-2 tbsp size meat balls (your choice!) into the pot until you use it all

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

Serving

Evenly divide contents of the soup pot between your 4-5 bowls.

Serve a communal accoutrement plate on the side so each guest can customize their own.

Nutrition

• Calories: 888 kcal
• Total Fat: 27 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Cholesterol: 305 mg
• Sodium: 3435 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 119 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 18 g
• Protein: 39 g