Seafood
Crab paste in soya bean oil
riêu cua
Also called gia vị nấu bún riêu, crab paste for bun rieu, minced crab in spices, riêu cua đóng lọ
A jarred paste of minced crab cooked in soya bean oil with shallots, fish sauce and seasoning, sold for bún riêu and other Vietnamese crab soups. It stands in for freshly pounded paddy crab, which is hard to find outside Vietnam.
Origin
Made in Vietnam and Thailand for the Vietnamese diaspora and sold in Asian supermarkets, usually in a squat jar with a red or orange label. Freezer sections sometimes carry ground whole paddy crab, which is closer to the real thing.
Flavour
Strongly crabby, sweet and briny, with an oily richness and a reddish colour from the crab fat and the cooking oil.
How to use it
Stir it into beaten egg and minced pork so the mixture sets into soft crab curds in the simmering broth. The oil that floats off it colours the soup. Taste before seasoning the broth, as the paste is already salty.
Storage
Unopened jars keep in the cupboard for a year or more. Once open, refrigerate and use within a month.
