Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu from Scratch with Added Pork Hocks)

Step 1

Clean the pork: Fill a 5-quart stock pot half way with water and bring the pot to a boil. Add ginger slices and a third of the sliced shallots. Let the pot simmer for 5 minutes until shallots and ginger release their aroma. Add pork hocks. Blanch for 5 minutes or until impurities (foam) float to the top. Drain the content of the pot into a colander in a sink and rinse well with water. Wash the stock pot thoroughly to reuse.

Step 2

Prep the shrimp/prawn: Separate the heads from the body with a gentle twist to keep the head fat intact. Set the shrimp heads aside. Peel and devein the shrimp, then finely chop with a food processor until it turns into a paste. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop with a knife or place it in a Ziploc bag and smash it with something heavy, such as a rolling pin.

Step 3

To the bottom of the stock pot from earlier, heat vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) on medium-high. Add half of the remaining shallots and half of the garlic. Pan fry until aromatic (about 15 seconds). Add shrimp heads and toss them with the aromatics. Using a wooden spoon or any other cooking utensil, smash the shrimp heads so that they release the head fat. The head fat will give the broth a beautiful red color, as well as add flavor to the broth. Add water (3-¾ quarts) to the pot and pork hocks. Cook on a low simmer for one hour or until pork hocks can be easily pierced with a chopstick.

Step 4

Make the crab and shrimp meatballs (riêu). Mix fresh crab meat, shrimp paste, and beaten eggs together. Season with ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Crank up the heat on the stockpot to a rolling boil and gently slide the mixture across the top of the stock. The high heat will quickly cook up the mixture and keep it together in one large sheet. Turn down the heat and continue to cook the stock pot on medium-low.

Step 5

Prepare the tomatoes. In a medium-sized skillet, heat up the remaining vegetable oil (1 tablespoon) on medium-high. Add the last of the garlic and shallots. Pan fry until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Add tomatoes and pan fry until it starts to soften. Scoot the crab and shrimp meatballs to one side of the stock pot and to the other side, carefully pour in the tomato mixture. Add fried tofu to the stockpot as well. Let the stock continue to cook on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Step 6

Season stock to taste with salt, sugar, fish sauce, MSG (optional), and fermented shrimp paste. Break up the shrimp paste with a bit of stock water before adding it to the pot.

Step 7

Assemble: To a bowl, add a handful of cooked rice noodles, pork hocks, a few pieces of the crab mixture, fried tofu, and pork blood. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onions, cilantro, and/or a few slices of yellow onions. Serve with your favorite vegetables, lemons or limes wedges, and additional shrimp paste on the side.