Description
A delicious and authentic Bún Riêu recipe, all from scratch, with added pork hocks, pork blood, and crab/shrimp meatballs. In this recipe, we are skipping the jarred or canned spiced crab and making it all with fresh crab and shrimp.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Broth
- 2 lbs pork hock chunks
- 10 large shrimp/prawns with heads
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 2-inch ginger (leave unpeeled; slice into thick coins)
- 4 large shallots (peel and slice into thick wedges)
- 5 garlic cloves (peel and slice)
- 3 3/4 quarts water
- 1 cup fresh crab meat
- 3 whole eggs (beaten)
- 4 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs, cut into large wedges)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon MSG (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fermented shrimp sauce (mắm ruốc)
- 6 oz fried tofu cubes
Noodles/Vegetables/Pork Blood
- 2 packages 14 oz dried rice noodles (cook per package instructions)
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced yellow onions
- Thinly chopped cilantro
- Shredded water spinach (Rau Muống/Ong Choy)
- Thinly sliced green/purple cabbage
- Other Vietnamese herbs (perilla, sorrell, mint)
- Lemon/lime wedges
- Blood cake (optional)
Instructions
- 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 8 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.
- 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.
- Make the stock: 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Season the stock: Add 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.
- Assemble: To a bowl, add a handful of cooked rice noodles, pork hocks, a few pieces of the crab mixture, fried tofu, and blood cake. 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.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese