[Vietnamese Recipes] Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup (Banh Canh Cua)

The noodles can be made from tapioca flour or a mixture of rice and tapioca flour. Two versions of it can be served: banh canh cua (crab) or banh canh gio heo (pork hock version). One must have ingredient in this noodles bowl is crab paste with soybean oil. These important ingredients act as a flavor enhancer to a tastier, scrumptious broth.

Hey there!!

I know what you are thinking, another soup on this beautiful spring weather right? I’m sorry but I just had to share this one, for the love of my life…

Because today is his BIRTHDAY!

Let me tell you a little bit about my birthday boy!! He is obsessed with seafood, especially crabs legs, crabs meats, and anything that crawls in the ocean. And since today is his special day, I want to prepare something with his favorite seafood. Just as a thank you for putting up with my stubbornness, my feistiness, and my craziness sometimes around the house.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE….

Introducing to you the Ultimate Vietnamese crab tapioca noodle bowl aka banh canh cua. Banh canh is a thick Vietnamese noodles, similar to Korean udon noodles but has a chewy texture. 

I’m sharing with you my version of banh canh cua:

A handful of thick noodles at the bottom of the bowl, which is covered with shrimp balls, crab meat, more shrimps added to the bowl. Then a spoonful of broth is added while finishing off with green onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice.

VIETNAMESE CRAB TAPIOCA NOODLE SOUP (BANH CANH CUA)


Serves: 4 large bowls

INGREDIENTS

For the broth:

• 3 lbs pork neck bones
• 1 onion (peeled)
• 18 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon chicken powder
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• For the crab meat mixture:
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon shallot (chopped)
• 1 lb crab meat
• 4 tablespoons crab paste with soybean oil
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Accompaniments

• 20 large shrimps
• Shrimps balls (optional)
• 2 package of thick vermicelli (tapioca strips) – I used the 2 golden fish brand
• ½ cup green onion (finely chopped)
• ½ cup cilantro (finely chopped)
• Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place pork neck bones in a large pot with enough water to cover the bones. Let boil for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones under cold water
2. In a large pot, pour 18 cups of water and bring to boil. Add in the bones and 1 whole onion. Let the broth simmer for about 1 hr.
3. While the broth is simmering, prepare the crab mixture. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add in half garlic and half shallot until fragrant. Add in crabmeat, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in crab paste with soybean oil and continue to stir until crab meat is fully cooked.
4. Pour half of the crab meat mixture into the broth and save half of the mixture for topping later
5. Return to the pan, add in shrimps and fry until shrimps are fully cooked. Set aside
6. Season the broth with fish sauce, chicken powder, salt and sugar. If you have frozen shrimps balls, you can also add them at this time.
7. Cook the tapioca noodles according to package instructions. Please note tapioca noodles take longer to cook. You might want to soak the noodles in warm water for 15 minutes before boiling

To serve: Add some noodles in a bowl. Place some shrimps, crab meat and shrimps balls. Ladle some broth into the bowl. Top off with green onions, cilantro & lime wedges

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Atasteofjoyandlove.com. Thanks so much!