Bún riêu
Bún riêu cua
Vietnamese crab and tomato noodle soup: a sour red broth with soft crab-and-pork curds floating on top, fried tofu and rice vermicelli, finished at the table with herbs, lime and shrimp paste.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Bún riêu cua.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Bún riêu is a tomato and crab broth, tart with tamarind, with soft clouds of crab floating on top. In Vietnam those clouds come from tiny freshwater paddy crabs pounded whole, shell and all, then sieved; when the liquid heats, the crab protein rises and sets into the riêu. Outside Vietnam fresh paddy crab is almost impossible to find. The usual shortcut, used in diaspora kitchens everywhere, is a jar of crab paste in soya bean oil, bound with minced pork and egg so that it sets the same way. It is honest and it works. The broth is chicken or pork stock with tomato, shallot and fish sauce.
What you'll need
22 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Crab curds
- Broth
- To serve
Ingredients
Crab curds
- Crab paste in soya bean oil, one jar of crab paste in soya bean oil165 g
- Pork, minced250 g
- Egg3
- Fish sauce4.9 ml
- Black pepper1 pinch
Broth
- Chicken stock, or pork bone stock2 l
- Tomato, in wedges4 medium
- Shallot, sliced4
- Tamarind, paste, or to taste30 ml
- Fish sauce44 ml
- Sugar15 ml
- Shrimp paste, Vietnamese mắm tôm15 ml
- Achiote, annatto seeds, for colour (optional)4.9 ml
- Neutral oil, 2 tbsp for the pot, 1 for the tofu44 ml
To serve
- Vermicelli rice noodles, dried, round400 g
- Tofu, firm, cubed, or bought fried tofu puffs300 g
- Bean sprouts200 g
- Lettuce, shredded½
- Mixed herbs, perilla, Vietnamese balm and mint1 bunch
- Lime, in wedges2
- Fresh chilli, sliced2
- Shrimp paste, mắm tôm, for the table (optional)30 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Beat the eggs in a bowl, then mix in the minced pork, the crab paste with its oil, the fish sauce and pepper until evenly combined. Set aside.
5 min
Step 2
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a stockpot over medium heat. If using annatto seeds, fry them for a minute until the oil turns orange, then lift them out. Fry the shallot until soft, add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes until it starts to break down.
10 min
Step 3
Pour in the stock, add the tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and mắm tôm, and bring to a simmer. Taste it: it should be clearly sour, a little sweet and well salted.
10 min
Step 4
Turn the heat down until the broth barely moves. Drop the crab mixture in by spoonfuls across the surface and do not stir. Leave it 10 minutes while the curds rise and firm into soft islands, cooked through with no pink pork inside, then break them gently into large pieces with a ladle.
12 min
Watch: A hard boil breaks the crab curds into grit. Keep it at a shiver.
Step 5
Meanwhile cook the vermicelli as the packet says, rinse in cold water and drain. Fry the tofu cubes in the remaining oil in a frying pan until golden on all sides, then slip them into the broth for the last 5 minutes.
15 min
Step 6
Put noodles in deep bowls and ladle over the broth with tomato, tofu and crab curds. Serve with bean sprouts, lettuce, herbs, lime, chilli and mắm tôm for each person to add.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 791 kcal
- Protein
- 46.7 g
- Carbs
- 59.2 g
- Fat
- 42.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.6 g
- Fibre
- 6.5 g
- Sugar
- 19.8 g
- Sodium
- 4625 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Shellfish
- Fish
- Eggs
- Soy
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Tamarind → Rice vinegar or lime juice
Add it at the end, a little at a time. Tamarind gives a rounder sourness.
Chicken stock → Pork bone stock
The traditional base. Simmer 1 kg pork bones for 2 hours, skimming often, for a cleaner, sweeter broth.
Tips
- If a Vietnamese shop has frozen ground paddy crab (cua đồng xay), mix it with water, strain it and use the liquid as part of the stock. The curds rise on their own and you can use half the jarred paste.
- Taste the broth again after the crab goes in. The paste is salty, so hold some fish sauce back until then.
- Mắm tôm is strong. Stir it with a little lime juice and sugar first, then add a spoonful to your bowl.
History & culture
Bún riêu is northern at heart and is now eaten for breakfast and lunch from Hanoi to Saigon, at low plastic tables with a basket of greens. The north keeps it simple, with tomato, crab and tofu. The south adds pork, cubes of pork blood and a heaped plate of herbs, banana blossom and water spinach. A dab of mắm tôm goes in at the table.
Paddy crabs live in the flooded rice fields of the Red River Delta, and farming families have long pounded them into soup as cheap protein. Bún riêu grew from that village cooking into a city dish in the 20th century. Jarred crab paste came later, made largely for diaspora cooks with no paddy fields to catch crabs in.
Modern adaptation — In Vietnam the riêu is made from live paddy crabs pounded and sieved, which gives a lighter, more delicate curd. Jarred crab paste bound with pork and egg is the standard diaspora method and is what this recipe uses. Southern versions add cubes of congealed pork blood, left out here.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Bún riêu take?
1 hr 10 min all in — 25 min prep, 45 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Shellfish, Fish, Eggs, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
10 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot, Saucepan, Frying pan, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Fish sauce — 1 tsp; Fish sauce — 3 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much fish sauce?
1 tsp of Fish sauce.
How much fish sauce?
3 tbsp of Fish sauce.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Tamarind → Rice vinegar or lime juice. Add it at the end, a little at a time. Tamarind gives a rounder sourness. Chicken stock → Pork bone stock. The traditional base. Simmer 1 kg pork bones for 2 hours, skimming often, for a cleaner, sweeter broth.
What should I watch for?
A hard boil breaks the crab curds into grit. Keep it at a shiver.
Any tips from this recipe?
If a Vietnamese shop has frozen ground paddy crab (cua đồng xay), mix it with water, strain it and use the liquid as part of the stock. The curds rise on their own and you can use half the jarred paste. Taste the broth again after the crab goes in. The paste is salty, so hold some fish sauce back until then. Mắm tôm is strong. Stir it with a little lime juice and sugar first, then add a spoonful to your bowl.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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