Mrs. No Limit’s Birthday requested a big pot of her favorite noodle soup, Bún Riêu, Vietnamese Crab Vermicelli Noodle Soup, to celebrate her big day with her family. I put extra love in this pot this year, and it may have been the best pot of Bún Riêu I’ve made for her.
My Riêu meatballs are packed with lump crab meat, ground shrimp, and dried shrimp. There’s no ground pork in my Riêus. I made a delicious pork broth using chopped pork ribs so we could have tender riblets in the noodle soup. You can opt for Chicken Broth too, but I love the taste of pork broth more in Bún Riêu
Ingredients:
4 quarts pork broth
Crab and Shrimp Riêu
8 ounces fried tofu
6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 Green Onions, chopped into 2-inch pieces
Shrimp paste, to taste
Pork Broth Ingredients:
6 quarts water, more if needed
4 pounds parboiled pork ribs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large yellow onion, peeled and washed
6-8 ounces of daikon, peeled and washed
1 piece rock sugar
1/2 cup of fish sauce
1 tablespoon salt, more to taste
MSG (Optional), to taste
Riêu Ingredients:
1 lb lump crab meat
1 lb shrimp, finely minced
1/2 cup @khomarket Louisiana Dried Shrimp, soaked, drained, and processed
7 oz. Pantai Brand Crab Paste with Soya Bean Oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
1.5 tablespoons Shrimp Paste
1 teaspoon sugar
Extras:
Vermicelli Noodles
green onions, chopped
mint leaves, washed and picked
perilla leaves, washed and picked
Water spinach or cabbage, washed and shredded
limes, sliced
bag bean sprouts
Thai chilis
Steps:
Make Rieu (Crab/Shrimp mixture) – Add crab, shrimp, dried shrimp, eggs, corn starch, crab paste with soya bean oil, and shrimp paste into a medium mixing bowl. Mix well.
Sauté Tomatoes – Heat a skillet on medium heat, add oil, and fry tomato paste for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes and sauté tomatoes for 2-3 minutes.
Make Pork Broth– Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add pork broth ingredients and simmer for 2 hours until the pork ribs are tender. Season to taste. Once the broth is ready, turn the heat down to medium high and use a soup spoon to slowly scoop the rieu into the broth to cook for about 20-25 minutes. Add sautéed tomatoes, tofu, and chopped green onions, mix, and season to taste.
Assemble Bún Riêu Bowl – Add 5 ounces of cooked vermicelli noodles in a bowl. Ladle in a few cups of Bún Riêu broth plus rieu mixture and tomatoes. Top each bowl with fresh herbs and enjoy.
Tips:
- If you’re short on time and/or don’t care for pork broth, chicken broth is a great substitute! Both broths are equally delicious.
- Customize ingredients however you like.
- Quoc Viet Pork Flavored Soup Base is a good option to use if you’re short on time.
No Limit Cooking 
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