Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup with Pork (Bun Rieu)

• 份量: 8 servings
• 准备时间: 20 minutes
• 总时间: 1 hour 20 minutes

配料

3 lbs pork spare ribs or pork neck bones (cut into bite-sized pieces)

5 quarts water

1 cup dried salted shrimp (soak in hot water to soften for 10 minutes)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon minced garlic

14 oz minced crab in spices

8 oz ground pork

4 beaten eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallot

5 large ripe tomatoes (cut into wedges)

4 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons chicken or mushroom bouillon powder (optional)

1 teaspoon MSG (optional)

¼ cup ketchup

⅓ cup shrimp paste (mắm ruốc)

2 lbs medium dried rice noodles (cook per package instructions)

½ lb fried tofu cubes

Pork blood cake

Water spinach stems (split stems into thin strips)

Lettuce or cabbage (thinly sliced)

Bean sprouts

Limes (cut into wedges)

Green onions (thinly sliced for garnish)

步骤

Pork Stock

Clean the bones (optional but recommended)

In a large stock pot (at least 7 quarts), add pork bones and enough water to cover. Bring the pot to a boil and continue boiling until impurities (foam) rise to the surface (about 8 minutes). Place a colander in the sink, drain the bones, and rinse the bones with cold water.

Prepare stock

Clean the stock pot and return it to the stove. Add 5 quarts of water and the parboiled bones. Simmer on medium-low heat for one hour, or until the pork can be easily pierced with a chopstick. Occasionally, skim off the impurities that might float to the top and discard. While the broth is simmering, prepare the remaining ingredients.

Crab and Pork Meatballs/Crab Cakes

Prepare dried shrimp

Finely chop the presoaked dried salted shrimp in a food processor and set aside.

Prepare the meatballs

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Add the jarred or canned spiced crab and the chopped dried shrimp. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture into a medium bowl, add ground pork and beaten eggs. Mix until well combined.

Cook meatballs

Using two spoons, shape the crab and pork mixture into small balls and gently drop them into the pot one by one. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and proceed to prepare the tomatoes.

Tomatoes

Toast aromatics

In the now-empty skillet, heat more vegetable oil. Sauté garlic and shallots until fragrant (20 seconds).

Add the sliced tomatoes and stir gently

Cook for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes release some of their juices.

Season the Stock and Add Tofu

Season to taste

Season the broth with salt (4 teaspoons), chicken/mushroom bouillon powder (2 tablespoons), and MSG (1 teaspoon).

Prepare ketchup and shrimp paste mixture

In a small bowl, mix the ketchup and shrimp paste. Ladle some hot broth from the stock pot into the bowl to liquefy the mixture before adding it to the soup. Add a little at a time to adjust to taste.

Add fried tofu

to the stock pot.

Assembly

Add noodles and toppings

Place a handful of cooked rice noodles into a bowl. Ladle hot soup over the noodles, including pieces of pork, meatballs/crab cakes, and fried tofu.

Finish

Garnish with green onions and serve with your favorite vegetables, herbs, lime, and additional shrimp paste on the side for customization.