Banh Canh Cua (Vietnamese Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup)

Name: Banh Canh Cua (Vietnamese Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup)
Ingredients: 1 sea crab (about 1.1 lbs or 500 grams); 10.5 oz pork hock (about 300 grams; use front hock for leaner meat); 7 oz peeled shrimp (about 200 grams); 3.5 oz peeled crab meat (about 100 grams); Salt, sugar, MSG, black pepper, cilantro, green onion, lime; 1 small onion, diced; 1.1 lbs tapioca noodles for banh canh (about 500 grams)

My Phung @cook_4590364

Sài Gòn

On Vinh Vien and Ngo Quyen streets near my mom’s house, there are a few famous places in Saigon that serve delicious banh canh cua. These spots are always busy because they’re so well-known. Even though my husband and I live nearby, we rarely go because it’s always crowded and you have to wait, plus it doesn’t seem very clean... Most importantly, they don’t use real sea crab anymore—just soft-shell crab and pre-peeled shrimp—so the soup doesn’t have the authentic flavor of true banh canh cua.

My Phung @cook_4590364

Saved

Ingredients

1sea crab (about 1.1 lbs or 500 grams)
10.5 ozpork hock (about 300 grams; use front hock for leaner meat)
7 ozpeeled shrimp (about 200 grams)
3.5 ozpeeled crab meat (about 100 grams)
Salt, sugar, MSG, black pepper, cilantro, green onion, lime
1small onion, diced
1.1 lbstapioca noodles for banh canh (about 500 grams)

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Steps

1

Blanch the pork hock and discard the first boil. Add the pork hock to a pot with about 6–8 cups water (1.5–2 liters) and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, then add the pork hock. When it boils again, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, clean the crab, remove the roe and set it aside in a bowl. Squeeze a few drops of lime into the roe to reduce any fishy smell. Cut the crab body into quarters and remove the gills to keep the broth from tasting muddy. Add the crab pieces to the pot with the pork hock, cook for about 5 minutes, then remove the crab. Continue simmering the pork hock for another 20 minutes.
2

While the pork hock cooks, prepare the shrimp. Use a large knife to smash each shrimp, then roughly chop. Season the shrimp with 1/3 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons finely chopped green onion whites, and a pinch of black pepper. Mix well. In another pot, heat some oil and sauté the diced onion and chopped green onion whites until fragrant and golden. Add 1 teaspoon chili powder and 2 teaspoons chili sauce, then add the crab roe. Pour all the pork hock broth into this pot. If the liquid is low, add more boiling water. Add the pork hock, then use a spoon to drop small portions of the seasoned shrimp into the pot.
3

Season with a little more salt, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 2–3 tablespoons sugar.
4

If you want a quicker version, just boil the shrimp, peel, and add them when serving.
5

Quickly sauté the peeled crab meat with a little fried garlic until fragrant, then set aside to top the soup. Use store-bought banh canh noodles, blanch them in boiling water, then rinse in cold water if you prefer less sticky noodles. When ready to serve, use a smaller pot to combine the desired amount of broth and noodles, bring to a boil, and add the crab. Sauté the crab meat with onion for extra flavor before adding. When serving, top each bowl with green onion and cilantro. Enjoy hot with black pepper, lime, and chopped chili.