Banh Canh Cua (Vietnamese Thick Crab and Pork Noodle Soup)
Banh canh cua is a southern Vietnamese noodle soup where the broth and noodles are equally thick - a departure from the clear, delicate soups of Hanoi. The base is built from crab shells and pork bones simmered together, then strained and thickened with tapioca starch until it coats the back of a spoon. Hand-cut tapioca-rice noodles have a distinctive chew - slippery and dense, unlike any wheat or rice noodle. Chunks of crab meat and a crab-paste egg custard float in the milky broth, making each bowl intensely rich with ocean flavor. Street vendors in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho ladle it from giant pots at dawn, serving it as a morning meal with fried shallots and fresh herbs on the side.
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Instructions
- 1
Bring stock to a boil and simmer crab meat for about 5 minutes.
- 2
Mix tapioca starch with water and add to lightly thicken the broth.
- 3
Add banh canh noodles and cook until translucent and chewy.
- 4
Season with fish sauce and pepper, then drizzle in beaten egg.
- 5
Top with scallion and serve hot.
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