The first Vietnamese dish I ever made was bún riêu, pronounced “boon rew,” which is a tomato and crab noodle soup. Of all the Vietnamese noodle soup dishes, I think this is the easiest to make because it requires the least amount of time and ingredients. This doesn’t mean there aren’t many ingredients, it just means less. 😉 Vietnamese cooking is all about flavor and finding the perfect balance between sweet, savory, spicy, and sour. So that means a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

The traditional way of making bún riêu is actually VERY time consuming. It involves pounding paddy crabs until they become a fine paste. I don’t have the paddy crabs nor the time to do this. Hence, I use store-bought cans of minced prawns. It’s what my grandmother and mother use, so it’s what I use! You can easily find this at most Asian grocery stores. (I linked some of the more uncommon ingredients in my recipe to Amazon so you can see what they look like. You by no means have to buy the same brand; it’s just included so you know what to look for at the grocery store.)

I was a little nervous the first time I made this dish for Michael because I wasn’t sure if he would like it. There’s a lot going on in this dish that can be a little intimidating to a rookie. Fish sauce, shrimp sauce, and minced prawns are widely used ingredients in southeast Asian cooking, but a completely new flavor and taste to most westerners. Nonetheless, I took a leap of faith and made it anyway! I was absolutely delighted when Michael liked it. No, let me rephrase. He LOVED it! 😀

Recipe
Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:
7 oz. thin rice vermicelli noodles
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 large eggs
1 (5.6 oz.) can minced prawns in spices
3 scallions, finely chopped
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, cut into medium wedges
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. tamarind powder
1/2 tsp. shrimp sauce or paste, divided
2 lime wedges
1 cup bean sprouts
fresh mint leaves
fresh chillies or Sambal Oelek chili sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook the noodles according to the package’s instructions. They should be slightly softer than al dente. (Most noodles take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to cook.) Then pour into a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain for at least 15 minutes.
2. Pour the chicken broth and water into a pot and bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the minced prawns, half of the scallions, two pinches of salt, and pepper.
4. Once broth begins to boil, reduce heat to medium. Gently pour in the prawn mixture.
5. After 2 to 3 minutes, the prawn mixture will begin to rise to the surface. Use a ladle or wooden spoon to gently scrape the bottom of your pot. You don’t want any of the prawn mixture to be stuck to the bottom.
6. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, sugar, and tamarind powder. Gently stir and taste the broth. Depending on your chicken broth, you may need to add a little salt.
7. Simmer for another 5 minutes and turn off heat.
8. Divide the noodles into two large bowls and top with remaining scallions. Ladle the broth into the bowls, making sure to include tomatoes and the prawn mixture. The broth should cover the noodles entirely.
9. Add 1/4 teaspoon shrimp sauce into each bowl. Gently mix with chopsticks.
10. Serve with a plate of bean sprouts, mint, limes, and chillies.