Bánh đa cua Hải Phòng: Hai Phong Crab Soup with Red Rice Noodles

Keep the live crabs chilled until preparation; select active crabs and discard any that are already dead. Scrub them well, remove the top shells and gills, and reserve the orange roe separately. Set aside 100 ml of the measured water for the tamarind. Pound or process the crab bodies and shells with the 6 g coarse salt and some of the remaining cold water. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean stockpot. Repeat with the rest of the 2.4 L cold water until the crab liquid is extracted; discard shell solids. Keep raw crab and its liquid separate from ready-to-eat ingredients.

Mix the ground pork with the minced shallot, 10 ml fish sauce, 1 g salt and black pepper. Divide into 16 portions and wrap each in a lolot leaf. Pan-cook with 10 ml oil, turning until the leaves are browned and the pork filling reaches 71°C at the centre. Set aside hot.

Render the pork back fat in a small pan over medium-low heat until the pieces are golden and crisp. Lift out the cracklings and reserve. Fry the sliced shallots in a little rendered fat or the measured 10 ml oil until golden; drain and reserve. Avoid browning them too darkly.

Set the strained crab liquid over medium heat and stir gently in one direction as it warms, until steam rises and crab curd gathers on the surface. Reduce to a gentle simmer and leave undisturbed until the largest raft is set. Check the centre of the thickest raft with a clean instant-read thermometer; it must reach 63°C. Lift the cooked curd with a slotted spoon and reserve. Keep the broth hot.

Soak the tamarind pulp in the reserved 100 ml hot water for 10 minutes, then press and strain it, discarding fibres and seeds. Warm the 20 ml oil with annatto seeds until reddish-orange; remove the seeds. Sauté the reserved crab roe, then add the tomato wedges and cook until softened. Add the crab broth, strained tamarind water, 20 ml fish sauce, shrimp paste, 4 g salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Return the crab curd to the broth and keep hot.

Trim and blanch the water spinach in boiling water until tender-crisp, then drain. Soak or prepare the dried red rice noodles exactly as their package directs; briefly blanch until tender and drain well. Do not leave softened noodles sitting in hot broth.

Divide the noodles among four warmed bowls. Add water spinach, crab curd, pork rolls, fried shallots, pork cracklings and scallion. Ladle the hot crab broth over each bowl and serve immediately, with optional sliced chili. Keep cooked broth, pork rolls and toppings separate for storage; do not leave assembled soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate at or below 4°C within 2 hours. Use crab broth and seafood within 2 days. Reheat broth to a rolling boil and heat crab curd and pork rolls until steaming hot throughout. Discard food left at room temperature longer than 2 hours.