Banh canh cua (crab noodle soup)
Bánh canh cua: thick, slippery noodles in a glossy orange crab broth
Saigon's bánh canh cua is a late-afternoon and evening soup, sold from street stalls and small shops where the pots of red-orange broth sit beside trays of crab claws, prawns and quail eggs. The noodles are thick, round and bouncy, made with tapioca or a mix of tapioca and rice flour, and the broth is thickened slightly so it clings to them. Crab meat sautéed with shallots and annatto colours the soup and gives it its sweet, rich taste. Fresh bánh canh noodles are sold chilled in Asian shops; thick udon is a fair stand-in. Chef's tip: stir the crab meat in the annatto oil for only a minute so it stays in big, sweet lumps.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
For the crab
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Peel and devein 10 ½ oz raw prawns, keeping the shells and heads. Put the shells, 6 ¼ cups chicken stock, ⅔ oz dried shrimp and 1 onion in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. If you make the broth ahead, cool it within an hour and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
18 minStep 2: Boil 12 quail eggs for 3 minutes, cool in cold water and peel.
5 minStep 3: Warm 3 tbsp vegetable oil with 1 tbsp annatto seeds in a small pan over a low heat for 2–3 minutes until the oil turns deep red. Strain out the seeds.
3 minStep 4: Heat the red oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 3 shallots for 2 minutes until soft. Add 7 oz cooked white crab meat and ½ tsp ground black pepper and fold gently for 1 minute to colour it. Set aside.
3 minStep 5: Strain the broth into a clean pan, season with 2 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp sugar and bring back to a simmer. Add the peeled prawns and cook for 2–3 minutes until pink and opaque, then lift them out.
3 minStep 6: Mix 2 tbsp tapioca starch with 4 tbsp cold water. Stir the broth steadily while you pour in the slurry in a thin stream, and simmer for 1 minute until slightly glossy. Common mistake: dumping the slurry in all at once into a hard boil makes lumps; pour slowly and keep stirring.
2 minStep 7: Stir most of the crab into the broth and taste for salt.
Step 8: Loosen 1 ⅓ lb fresh bánh canh noodles or thick udon in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, or as the packet says, and drain.
2 minStep 9: Divide the noodles between deep bowls, add the prawns and quail eggs and ladle the hot broth over. Top with the rest of the crab, 3 spring onions, ½ oz coriander and 3 tbsp crisp fried shallots, and serve with 1 lime and 1 red chilli.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banh canh cua (crab noodle soup) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of chicken stock?
- Vegetable stock, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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