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Mom's Bun Rieu (Vietnamese crab, chicken, tomato, noodle soup)

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This is definitely not your traditional bun rieu recipe; it's my mom's version, and what I grew up eating. We try to avoid using the pre-made spices / canned crab because I always find it tastes very processed, salty, and oily. Although I still use a lot of sodium in this recipe, the fact that it is all made from scratch helps it taste a bit "healthier" and lighter. It's like a comforting seafood tomato/chicken soup.

Note: This was one of the harder recipes for me to write because I really cook this dish totally by intuition. I may adjust this recipe from time to time as I revisit.

Serving Size: 6 servings, with extra broth
Duration: 1.5 hrs

Ingredients

Soup and Noodles

  • 1 bag (400g) of vermicelli (I use Jiang Xi Rice Vermicelli brand)
  • 1 lb of chicken (approx. 2-3 chicken breasts, or 10 chicken thighs), skinless, sliced
  • 9.5 cups of water
  • 3-4 extra large tomatoes (5-6 medium tomatoes), sliced into thick wedges
  • 2 tsp fish sauce *
  • 3 tsp salt *
  • 3.5 tsp chicken bouillon powder (I use Knorr brand)
  • 2 tsp ketchup (optional) **

Crab omelette

  • 1/2 cup real crab meat ***
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Canola oil

Other Toppings ****

  • 100g fried tofu, halved
  • Shrimp
  • Cha lua (Vietnamese sausage), sliced
  • Scallions
  • Cilantro/Parsley
  • Bean sprouts
  • Lime wedge

Directions

I've separated into sections below, but typically, to reduce dishwashing, I make the noodles first and then rinse and use the same pot to prepare the soup. While waiting for the soup to boil, I will simultaneously make the crab omelette.

Noodles 

  1. Boil a big pot of water (at least double the volume of the vermicelli).
  2. Once boiled, add noodles and cook until al dente (about 7-8 mins).
  3. Drain the noodles into a colander and set aside. Rinse with cold water occasionally and stir to prevent it from sticking.

Soup 

  1. Add 9.5 cups of water into a big pot and turn heat on high.
  2. Add chicken and tomatoes.
  3. Continue to bring the mixture to a boil. Remove froth/foam as needed to maintain a clear broth.
  4. Add chicken bouillon powder, fish sauce, salt, and ketchup. *
  5. Once soup mixture is boiled (i.e. chicken is cooked), taste test and adjust seasoning as needed.
  6. Turn off stove and set aside.

Crab omelette

  1. Mix all crab omelette ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Heat a medium non-stick pan with canola oil on low heat.
  3. Pour omelette mixture into the pan and slowly cook so that it does not burn; turn half way to ensure it is evenly cooked. The omelette should be at least half a centimetre thick for a nice tasty bite!

Combine

  1. Reheat the noodles, soup, and crab omelette and combine. Be generous with the soup broth. Add the toppings / garnishes to your preference. Serve hot.
* Start with a bit less than my recommended amounts above; you can always add more later and adjust to taste.
** Really just for colour. Can use tomato paste for a bit more tomato-y taste.
*** You can buy frozen real crab meat and defrost for this recipe. Don't use imitation crab meat.
**** Adjust amount to preference. Per serving, I usually go with: 3-4 pieces each of shrimp, sliced cha lua, and halved tofu; 1/2 cup of bean sprouts; 1/4 lime wedge.