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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
3 hours 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Crab noodle soup is a delicious dish, a famous Hue specialty that you should try. If you haven’t had the chance to go to Hue to try this noodle dish, then let’s join TasteVN cooking and make this soup yourself. We will reveal the detailed and specific recipe for you right below.
Ingredients for Hue Crab Noodle Serves 4 people
Noodles 1 kg Crab meat 120 gr Pork bones 1 kg Minced pork 300 gr Stir-fried crab roe 1.5 tablespoons Minced lemongrass 2 tablespoons Lemongrass stalks 100 gr Minced garlic 2 tablespoons Minced chili 1 tablespoon Minced shallots 1 tablespoon Rock sugar 2 teaspoons Hue fermented fish sauce 1.5 teaspoons Onions 3 bulbs Ginger 1 bulb (small bulb) Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Accompanying vegetables a little (shredded water spinach/ bean sprouts/ Vietnamese coriander/ cinnamon/ cilantro…) Common spices a little (seasoning/ salt/ ground pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork bone
- You should choose pork bones that are red, bright in color, and feel heavy when held in hand.
- Be careful when touching the bones; they should not feel cold like they have been frozen and are in the thawing stage.
- Choose bones that are about the size of 2 – 3 finger joints, as they will be sweeter when simmered compared to smaller bones.
- Do not choose bones that appear pale, have a strange smell, or feel cold to the touch.
- Avoid buying frozen bones for grilling as they may turn cloudy and smell bad.
How to choose good Vietnamese pork sausage
- When buying Vietnamese pork sausage, pay attention to the production date and expiration date printed on the product packaging.
- Choose Vietnamese pork sausage that has a creamy white color and is bright.
- Fresh sausage will have a characteristic fatty meat smell, with no strange odors.
- Do not buy sausage if you see any unusual black spots.
- You can also make Vietnamese pork sausage at home following the recipe suggested by TasteVN.
How to prepare Hue crab noodle soup (Bún chả cua Huế)
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Prepare and cook the pork bone broth
After purchasing, wash the pork bones thoroughly to remove blood. To eliminate any unpleasant odor, soak the bones in diluted saltwater for about 1 – 2 hours. Then take them out, rinse with clean water, and let them drain.
Next, place the bones in a basin, pour about 2.5 liters of boiling water over them, and soak the bones for 3 – 5 minutes, adding 2 teaspoons of salt to remove any remaining blood. Rinse the bones with water once more before cooking.
Peel 3 onions, cut them in half, and place 2 halves into a pressure cooker along with the prepared bones, adding 2.5 liters of water. Cook in the pressure cooker for about 60 minutes.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can simmer the bones on the stove for about 3 hours over medium heat. While simmering, be sure to skim off the foam regularly to keep the broth clear and flavorful.
Tip: Make sure to wash the pork bones thoroughly before boiling; otherwise, the broth will not be clear and impurities will cling to the bones, making the broth smell bad.
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Mixing crab cake
Put 120g of crab meat and 300g of pork sausage into a bowl, mixing the crab meat thoroughly with the pork sausage.
To enhance the flavor of the crab cake, add 1 tablespoon of sautéed crab roe, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and continue to mix well.
After mixing the sautéed crab roe well, then add another 1/2 tablespoon of sautéed crab roe, and mix for an additional 5 minutes until the crab roe blends well with the pork sausage and crab meat.
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Making chili oil
Add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil to a pan, heat the oil and add 2 tablespoons of minced shallots, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and 2 tablespoons of minced lemongrass, sautéing the mixture over medium heat until fragrant.
Next, add 2 tablespoons of minced chili and 1 tablespoon of dried chili, stirring for about 5 minutes until the chili oil is aromatic.
To make the chili oil tastier, add 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/3 teaspoon of sugar, stir for a few more minutes, then turn off the heat.
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Finishing the broth
You can strain the bone broth through a sieve and then put it on the stove to continue cooking the broth or leave the bones in.
Crush 100g of lemongrass, peel 1 ginger root, and onion, then add to the pot of broth and cook until it boils, then remove the bag and season to taste.
Add 3 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of rock sugar, 1.5 teaspoons of Hue fermented shrimp paste, and 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder to the pot, stirring well to dissolve the spices.
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Boiling crab cake
After seasoning the broth, add the whole boiled crab. You can shape them into round balls (each ball is 1 teaspoon of crab cake) or shape them as you like.
Boil in boiling water for about 5 – 8 minutes until the cakes are cooked. Taste the broth again for seasoning, then turn off the heat.
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Completion
Add shredded water spinach, bean sprouts, Vietnamese coriander, and thinly sliced onion to a bowl as desired, place the noodles on top, pour in the broth, and add 1 teaspoon of satay chili for a delicious dish.
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Final product
Thus, the Hue crab noodle dish has been completed. The hot bowl of noodles is best enjoyed while blowing on it, with chewy crab cakes and a sweet broth. This dish definitely requires satay and Vietnamese coriander for an irresistible taste.
Above is a detailed guide on how to make bun cha cua Hue that is delicious, rich, simple, and easy to make at home. TasteVN hopes that with these extremely simple and detailed recipes we share, you will gain more “tips” for delicious cooking for yourself and your loved ones. Wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes on the YouTube channel Diễm Nauy
