Name: Bánh canh cua (Southern Vietnamese crab noodle soup)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 170 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 700 g pork neck or soup bones; 2.5 L water; 180 g yellow onion, halved; 35 g fresh ginger, sliced; 8 g fine salt; 10 g granulated sugar; 350 g pasteurized cooked crab meat; 60 g cooked or pasteurized crab roe; 250 g raw peeled shrimp, thawed if frozen; 200 g straw mushrooms, drained; 80 g shallots, finely chopped; 12 g garlic, finely chopped; 30 ml annatto oil; 30 ml fish sauce; 1 g ground white pepper; 12 large quail eggs; 800 g fresh thick bánh canh noodles; 24 g tapioca starch; 60 ml cold water for the slurry; 30 g scallions, thinly sliced; 15 g cilantro leaves, chopped; 1 lime, cut into wedges; 1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

Wide view of bánh canh cua with crab, shrimp and thick noodles in a glossy broth.

Yield 4 bowls

Cook time About 1 hour 45 minutes

Passive time About 20 minutes

Total time About 2 hours 50 minutes

Calories About 690 kcal per bowl

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Bánh canh cua (Southern Vietnamese crab noodle soup)

Bánh canh cua is a Southern Vietnamese noodle soup built around the chew of thick rice or tapioca noodles and a fuller broth than many noodle soups. Toppings and broth thickness vary from one cook and town to another. This home version keeps the crab in front, with pork-bone stock, shrimp, mushrooms and quail eggs; it does not use coconut milk or pork blood, both of which appear in other regional bowls.

The stock simmers slowly while the crab topping is warmed with shallot, garlic and annatto oil. Cook the noodles separately so their starch does not turn the whole pot gummy, then thicken the broth gradually with tapioca slurry. Stop as soon as it lightly coats a spoon: the bowl should be glossy and substantial, not paste-like.

Practical

Tips for successBlanch and rinse the bones before making the stock for a cleaner flavor. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer and skim foam instead of stirring it in. Cook noodles in a separate pot and drain them well before assembling. Mix tapioca starch with cold water and add it slowly; slurry thickens further as it simmers. Cook raw shrimp separately with clean utensils until opaque and firm throughout. Keep cooked broth and toppings hot at 60°C / 140°F or above if holding for service.

Ingredients

Pork broth

700 g pork neck or soup bones
2.5 L water
180 g yellow onion, halved
35 g fresh ginger, sliced
8 g fine salt
10 g granulated sugar

Crab and shrimp topping

350 g pasteurized cooked crab meat
60 g cooked or pasteurized crab roe
250 g raw peeled shrimp, thawed if frozen
200 g straw mushrooms, drained
80 g shallots, finely chopped
12 g garlic, finely chopped
30 ml annatto oil
30 ml fish sauce
1 g ground white pepper
12 large quail eggs

Noodles and garnish

800 g fresh thick bánh canh noodles
24 g tapioca starch
60 ml cold water for the slurry
30 g scallions, thinly sliced
15 g cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)

Method

Make the stock. Cover the pork bones with cold water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and pot, then return the bones with 2.5 L fresh water. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim. Char the onion and ginger in a dry pan until browned in spots, add them to the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes.
Cook the eggs and mushrooms. While the stock simmers, boil the quail eggs for 4 minutes. Cool in cold water, peel and refrigerate. Rinse and drain the straw mushrooms. Keep raw shrimp separate from cooked crab and garnishes.
Strain and season. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Add 8 g salt and 10 g sugar. Keep at a gentle simmer; wait to adjust seasoning until the fish sauce is added.
Warm the crab and cook shrimp. Warm the annatto oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook shallots for 2–3 minutes until soft; add garlic for 30 seconds. Fold in crab roe and cooked crab and heat until steaming hot throughout. Transfer to a clean bowl. In the same pan, cook shrimp until opaque and firm throughout; use clean utensils after handling raw seafood.
Cook the noodles. Boil the fresh bánh canh in a separate pot according to package directions, usually 3–5 minutes. Drain and rinse briefly with hot water to remove excess surface starch. Divide among four bowls.
Thicken the broth. Mix tapioca starch with 60 ml cold water until smooth. Bring the broth to a low boil and whisk in the slurry a little at a time. Simmer 1–2 minutes, stopping when it lightly coats a spoon. Whisk the slurry again before each addition because starch settles. Add fish sauce, mushrooms, peeled quail eggs and crab mixture; heat the whole soup until steaming hot, at least 74°C / 165°F. Fold in the cooked shrimp.
Serve. Ladle broth and toppings over the noodles. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and white pepper. Serve at once with lime and optional chilli.

Practical

Practical guidance

Texture: If the broth gets too thick, stir in hot water a little at a time. If it is too thin, add a small extra amount of freshly mixed slurry and simmer briefly. Make ahead: Prepare the broth and toppings separately. Cook noodles close to serving time; they soften and release starch as they sit. Storage: Chill broth, noodles and toppings in separate shallow containers within 2 hours (within 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F). Refrigerate at or below 4°C / 40°F and use within 3–4 days. Reheating: Bring soup or broth to a boil and reheat all leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. Add a splash of water if the broth thickened in the refrigerator.

Troubleshooting

Gummy broth: The noodles were cooked in the stock or the slurry was added too quickly. Keep noodles separate and add slurry gradually. Lumpy thickener: The starch was mixed with warm liquid or added without whisking. Make a smooth cold slurry and whisk it into gently boiling broth. Shrimp are tough: They were cooked too long. Remove them as soon as opaque and firm throughout. The broth tastes flat: Adjust fish sauce in small measured additions after thickening; its saltiness varies by brand.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use dry bánh canh noodles? Yes. Follow the package directions and cook them separately. Drain well before adding them to the bowls. Can I add coconut milk? Some Mekong Delta crab-and-shrimp noodle soups include coconut milk. This version is designed around a pork-and-seafood broth; adding coconut milk changes its flavor and nutrition. Why thicken the broth? Many versions have a fuller, gravy-like body. A small amount of tapioca slurry gives this bowl that texture while leaving the broth pourable.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 bowl
CaloriesAbout 690 kcal
CarbohydrateAbout 74 g
ProteinAbout 43 g
FatAbout 23 g
FibreAbout 3 g
SodiumAbout 1,680 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains crustaceans (crab and shrimp) and fish (fish sauce). Check packaged noodles and seasonings for additional allergens. Blanch the bones, clean the pot and keep raw pork and shrimp separate from ready-to-eat ingredients. Cook shrimp until opaque and firm throughout; boil quail eggs for 4 minutes. Heat cooked crab and the assembled soup until steaming throughout. Refrigerate all components within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F. Store at or below 4°C / 40°F for 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C / 165°F.

Closing notes

Cook the noodles apart from the stock.
Add the tapioca slurry in small stages and stop early.

Bánh canh cua (Southern Vietnamese crab noodle soup)

Practical

Ingredients

Pork broth

Crab and shrimp topping

Noodles and garnish

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Closing notes

Vietnamese National Dishes

Bánh canh chả cá (Vietnamese thick noodle soup with fish cakes)

Bánh đúc nóng (Hanoi warm savory rice-flour cake)

Bánh coóc mò (Tày pointed sticky-rice packets)