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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
55 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Today, TasteVN will guide you on how to cook a unique seafood crab noodle dish that is rich in ocean flavor for the whole family, with simple steps. Let’s go to the kitchen and make this delicious soup right away!
Ingredients for Seafood Crab Noodles For 6 people
Sea crab 3 crabs Rice noodle 1 kg Fresh shrimp 400 gr Straw mushrooms 200 gr Quail eggs 15 eggs Tapioca starch 2 tablespoons White radish 1 piece Shallots 3 pieces Coriander 1 sprig Annatto oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Common spices a little (salt/ seasoning powder/ sugar/ pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh bánh canh
- You can use rice flour bánh canh or tapioca flour for this dish. When buying bánh canh, you should choose freshly made bánh canh that has a natural smell of rice and tapioca flour. Do not buy bánh canh that has a strong, unpleasant smell as these strands have been treated with chemicals.
- You can buy bánh canh at markets, grocery stores, or supermarkets nationwide. Since bánh canh has a very short shelf life, pay attention to the expiration date printed on the product packaging when purchasing.
- Do not buy bánh canh with damaged, torn packaging or that have not been stored at appropriate cool temperatures.
- Additionally, you can make delicious fresh bánh canh at home with the detailed steps provided by TasteVN.
How to choose fresh sea crabs
- According to folk experience, the best time to buy delicious, firm, and meaty crabs is during the end of the month or the beginning of the month on dark moonless nights.
- When buying crabs, you should choose reputable markets, supermarkets, or food stores to avoid situations like “selling dog meat under the guise of goat meat” or “3 thousand for sticky rice, 7 thousand for leaves.”
- While selecting crabs, you should first pay attention to the crab’s abdomen. If the crab has a firm and slightly hard abdomen when squeezed, it indicates that it is a meaty crab. Conversely, if the abdomen is soft and not firm, it will have less meat.
- Additionally, you should touch the crab’s shell; if it feels soft, it indicates that the crab has poor quality meat and roe.
- Avoid buying crabs in the middle of the month as during this time crabs are preparing to molt or are molting, thus they will be weak or have less meat.
How to choose fresh quail eggs
- You should choose quail eggs with a rough, slightly matte shell as they are fresh and recently harvested. Conversely, if the eggs have a smooth surface, they have been stored for a long time and should not be purchased.
- Additionally, you can hold the egg up to a light to check its freshness. If you see the yolk and egg white clearly, the air space at the top of the egg is very small, and the contents are clear without any black spots, then it is a fresh egg.
- Do not buy eggs that make a noise when you hold them and shake them lightly, as this indicates that the eggs are spoiled or being incubated.
How to choose fresh straw mushrooms
- You should choose straw mushrooms that are still buds, not yet bloomed, fresh, with a slightly round or cylindrical shape, and uniform size—not too large or too small.
- When selecting straw mushrooms, you should choose those that are black or gray in color because they will taste better than the white ones.
- Moreover, you should not buy straw mushrooms that feel hard when you press them with your hand because they have become tough and will not taste good.
How to prepare Crab noodle soup
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Preparing the ingredients
To prepare the crab, first use the tip of a scissors to pierce the sharp point on the crab’s shell to kill it, then use a brush to clean off any dirt on the crab’s shell. After that, use a knife to cut the crab in half.
Shrimp should be soaked in diluted salt water for about 3 minutes to remove the fishy smell, then rinsed with clean water and peeled, allowing them to drain.
For straw mushrooms, to remove any unpleasant odor, soak them in diluted salt water for about 2 minutes, then take them out, wash with clean water, and let them drain.
Wash the white radish, peel it, and cut it into pieces about 2 finger lengths long. Wash the green onions, remove the roots, and chop them finely. Peel the shallots and mince them.
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Boil eggs
Put quail eggs with a little salt and 800ml of water into the pot, bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the eggs are cooked, then remove and place in a bowl of cold water, peel the shells.
Tips for easy peeling boiled eggs- Method 1: Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes with a few slices of fresh lemon.
- Method 2: Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar into the pot and stir well for a few minutes, then boil until the eggs are cooked and remove them to cool and peel.
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Cook the broth
First, add 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour and 100ml of water into a bowl and stir until dissolved.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of annatto seeds and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pot, sauté over medium heat until the seeds release their color, then remove the seeds.
Then add sliced shallots and sauté until fragrant, then pour in 3 liters of water and cook with cut white radish, simmer for about 15 minutes until the water boils, then add the crab.
Cook the crab for about 20 minutes over medium heat, then add the peeled shrimp and straw mushrooms.
Cook for another 10 minutes, then season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 2.5 tablespoons of sugar, and 100ml (1/2 rice bowl) diluted tapioca water into the pot.
Stir well for the seasonings to dissolve and for the broth to have a certain thickness, then taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking before turning off the heat.
A little advice:- If you want to reduce the crab smell in the broth, you can steam the crab first and then add it to cook.
- But if you want the broth to be sweeter, add live crabs; however, the broth will have a slight distinctive smell of crab.
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Blanching the noodles
Add 1 liter of water to a pot along with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, bring to a boil, then add the noodles and cook for about 10 minutes until the noodles are translucent and tender, then turn off the heat.
After that, place the noodles into a bowl along with quail eggs, sprinkle with chopped scallions, pour in the broth, and enjoy!
Tip: Cooking oil will help prevent the noodles from sticking together.
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Finished Product
Sea crab bánh canh with rich, fragrant broth. The bánh canh is soft and chewy, the shrimp meat is evenly infused with spices, firm and sweet, combined with the rich, delicious sweetness of sea crab and quail eggs.
Rest assured, this will be an extremely attractive dish for your family’s weekend meal!
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Finally, we have completed the super delicious and flavorful sea crab bánh canh for the family. Wishing you success with this recipe and let TasteVN know your feedback in the comments below!
*Source of the recipe and images shared from Facebook: Nguyễn Tám.
