Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup / Bún Riêu

What if I told you that Phở or Bún Bò Huế wasn’t actually my favorite Vietnamese Noodle Soup? I know that sounds crazy because those are probably the most well-known and popular Vietnamese noodle soups. My favorite, though, is actually Bún Riêu.

It’s a fantastic noodle soup that, in my opinion, is vastly underrated. The light broth is made with pork bones and dried shrimp, then fragranced with fermented crab paste. The rieu or crab meatballs are packed with real crab and tons of flavor, and on top of that, this bowl of soup is filled with fresh herbs and veggies that, when combined together, make for a genuinely perfect bite. Let me put you on if you’ve never had it or tried to make it before. Here’s the easiest and tastiest way to make bun rieu in six easy steps!

What is Bun Rieu?

Bun rieu is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with a vague origin in the different provinces of Vietnam. It is influenced by both China and the French occupation, and like most dishes in Vietnam, bun rieu likely evolved through adaptation and innovation over time while using locally sourced ingredients. That also leads to different regional variations depending on what is readily available; for example, bun rieu evolved to Canh Bún in northern Vietnam.

Bun Rieu’s broth is light and clear but equally complex and rich in depth. It starts with pork bones and dried shrimp, but the addition of fermented crab paste and tomatoes transforms the clear broth into a vibrant red broth that is insanely flavorful.

Rieu is directly translated to meatball in Vietnamese, and this version is packed with ground pork, fermented crab, and fresh crab. It’s the perfect centerpiece and complements the broth perfectly. If funds are low, you could sub out the jumbo lump crab for canned crab meat from a brand like Fortune or Flower for just a couple of bucks at your local Asian grocery store. While the texture won’t be nearly as good, you’ll be able to achieve the same essence at a fraction of the cost.

Beyond that, bun rieu is packed with other toppings like fried tofu, Vietnamese ham, and fresh herbs and veggies like lettuce, banana blossom (which I strongly dislike and will not be adding here), and Vietnamese Perilla (lá tía tô).

How to make Bun Rieu:

Step 1: Make the Broth

With most Vietnamese soups, you want to start by parboiling your bones. Parboiling, then scrubbing and rinsing under cold water, helps remove the funk and gunk from the bones, giving you a light and clean broth.
Once the bones have been properly cleaned, we’ll add them back to a pot of boiling water, rehydrated dried shrimp, and a whole yellow onion. The other important tip to achieving a clean broth is not simmering your aromatics for too long. If the onion cooks for over two hours, it’ll begin to disintegrate into the soup, making the broth cloudy.

Step 2: Prep Work

While the broth is simmering, this is a great time to start prepping all of our toppings. Clean and wash all your herbs and veggies thoroughly before chopping them into desired cuts. Make sure you use this time to slice up your Cha Que, too!

Step 3: Cook the Vermicelli Noodles

I like using the Oldman Que Huong Brand vermicelli noodles – it’s what my mom uses, and it’s what I’ve had my entire life. The trick to cooking them perfectly al dente, with bite and bounce, is to bring water up to a boil and add a splash of oil and salt.

Then drop in your noodles and let that boil for six minutes. After six minutes, put a lid on the pot, remove the pot from the heat, and let the noodles soak for another six minutes. Once the noodles are done cooking, make sure you rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process and toss them in oil so they don’t stick together. If you follow this method, you’ll have perfectly cooked vermicelli noodles every single time.

Step 4: Finishing the Broth

After the broth has simmered for two hours, remove and discard the onion, then remove the pork ribs and dried shrimp. There should be nothing except stock left in the pot. We’ll then season the broth with fish sauce, rock sugar, and MSG. To the pot, we’ll add just the oil from a 7oz jar of crab paste in soya oil, reserving the actual paste for the meatball. We’ll add a couple of bun rieu seasoning cubes to finish seasoning our broth. Traditionally, this is made by mashing up small water crabs, but honestly it’s just not very practical here in the states.

Then add tomatoes and tofu and make any final adjustments to the broth.

Step 5: Make the Rieu

Combine ground pork, whole eggs, crab paste, and season with fish sauce and pepper in a mixing bowl. Then add 16oz of fresh jumbo lump crab and gently fold. We add the crab in last because we don’t want all the meat to break up. Having big chunks of crab in the meatball makes it feel more luxurious.

Using two spoons, make quenelles and drop the meatballs into the soup. Any shape or size for the meatballs is completely fine. When the rieu floats to the top of the broth, they’re done cooking.

Step 6: Putting It All Together

Assemble your bowl by filling it up with noodles, veggies, proteins, and soup, garnish liberally, and there you have it! That’s our Bún Riêu recipe is six easy steps!