Soup made from freshwater crab (riêu cua) is a famous dish that effectively cools you down, so it is often cooked on hot summer days. You should head to the kitchen with TasteVN to learn how to cook crab soup in two simple and delicious ways: simmered and stir-fried!
1. Simmered crab soup (Canh riêu cua nấu ngót)
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Simmered crab soup For 2 people
Ground crab 350 gr Celery 100 gr Dill 50 gr Green onions 5 stalks Tomatoes 3 pieces Onions 1 piece Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Seasoning a little (salt/sugar/seasoning powder/MSG)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Fresh tomatoes should have a bright red color, plump, shiny skin, and a faint characteristic tomato smell. Newly harvested tomatoes should have fresh stems tightly attached to the fruit. When cut in half, the seeds should be yellow and the flesh red, indicating ripe and delicious tomatoes.
- If you see tomatoes with scratched or bruised skin, or feel soft and mushy, they are overripe and may be spoiled inside. Moreover, if the tomatoes still have green skin, you should let them ripen for a few days, as green tomatoes contain toxins that are not good for health.
How to choose fresh and delicious celery
- Fresh celery has a bright green color and is clean, with thick leaf stems. The celery stalks should be round and even. There should be few roots, and the segments of the celery stalk should be long.
- Do not choose if you see the celery stalks are too large, as the white color may look appealing but has little aroma and a bland taste. Conversely, those with dark green color and many roots are old, tough, and should not be purchased.
How to make Crab Soup with boiled vegetables
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Extract crab juice
Put crushed crabs into a small bowl, mix with clean water, and then strain through a sieve. The total amount of water used to filter the crab meat is 2 liters, divided into multiple batches until the water becomes clear and no longer cloudy.
Pour the crab juice into a pot and set aside to let the crab meat settle; during this time, you can prepare the other ingredients.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges similarly to the tomatoes. Wash the celery, green onions, and dill, then cut them into sections.
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Sauté the tomatoes
Take a little green onion tops and put them in a pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and sauté until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and stir-fry, seasoning with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, stirring until the tomatoes release some juice and soften a bit, then turn off the heat.
Tip: Sauté the tomatoes to make the soup have a more appealing red color.
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Cooking soup
Put a pot of crab meat broth on the stove, turn on medium heat and cook until you see the crab meat floating, and the water is gently boiling, then open the lid.
Let the water boil for about 5 more minutes until all the crab meat floats to the top, then add the sautéed tomatoes, season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, stir gently until the seasoning dissolves, then use a ladle to skim off all the foam.
Next, add the onion, boil for another 3 minutes until the onion is just cooked, then add chopped celery and scallions, 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, stir well, then add dill and turn off the heat.
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Final product
The crab soup is sweet and flavorful, with fresh vegetables and rich crab meat, making it very appealing. This dish can be served with rice or noodles, both are delicious.
2. Crab soup cooking tang
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Crab Soup with Vegetables For 4 people
Freshwater crab 1 kg Malabar spinach 50 gr Amaranth 50 gr Loofah 1 piece Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Seasoning a little (salt/sugar/MSG)
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to choose fresh Amaranth
- Fresh Amaranth has bright green leaves, sturdy stems, and leaves that are not separated from the stem.
- Do not buy if you see bruised, deformed, or rotten leaves.
How to choose fresh Malabar spinach
- Choose Malabar spinach that has an even green color from leaves to stems, many shoots, fewer leaves, and smaller leaves means tastier vegetables.
- Avoid selecting spinach with oversized leaves, few shoots, and plump shapes to prevent choosing those that have been chemically treated.
- Do not buy leaves that are bruised or too weak as they will not have much nutritional value.
How to choose fresh Loofah
- You should choose loofahs that have fresh green stems, dark green, shiny skin, and few dark spots; these loofahs are usually dense, crunchy, and sweet.
- Avoid choosing those that are too immature or too mature, as immature ones will not be fragrant and sweet like the just-right ones, while mature or overripe ones will be fibrous and tough.
- Steer clear of loofahs that are wilted or have soft, yellowing stems.
How to Prepare Crab Soup with Various Ingredients
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Prepare the Crabs
Wash the freshwater crabs thoroughly with water several times, then separate the crab shell from the body. Next, put the crabs into a mortar and pound them into a paste.
Then, mix the crabs with 1 liter of water and strain through a sieve to obtain the crab juice.
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Prepare Other Ingredients
Wash the green onions, chop them finely. Peel the loofah, wash it clean, and cut it into slices about the thickness of a finger.
Pick the young leaves of the amaranth and jute, wash them clean, and chop them finely.
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Cooking the soup
Place a pot of crab water on the stove, bring to a boil, when you see the crab meat floating to the top, add the gourd, boil for 3 minutes then add the amaranth and water spinach, when the water boils again, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
Stir the seasoning evenly, finally add the scallions, taste again to adjust seasoning, turn off the heat.
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Final product
The crab soup with mixed vegetables has sweet crab meat, a refreshing broth, and various simple yet delicious vegetables. This dish is perfect when served with white rice and salty fish sauce, absolutely delightful.
How to choose fresh, delicious river crabs
- Delicious river crabs have a shiny golden shell, small, glossy claws, and are firm and healthy.
- Female river crabs with yellow or gray shells will have more roe and be firmer than male crabs.
- You should not buy crabs that are too large or too small; just choose crabs a bit larger than your big toe.
- If buying packaged ground crabs, pay attention to the source, expiration date,… to avoid purchasing low-quality crabs.
According to TasteVN’s guidance, delicious crab soup cooked simply and deliciously is really easy and delicious. Wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel Wife’s Kitchen and WESTERNERS
