Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup

越式蟹肉番茄米線湯

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — finished dish

Total time: 70 min
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

A bright tomato broth carries fully cooked crab-and-pork patties, tofu puffs and rice vermicelli for a satisfying Vietnamese-style soup.

01

Ingredients

Main ingredients

350 g dried rice vermicelli
250 g pasteurised crab meat
250 g minced pork
2 eggs
600 g tomatoes
200 g fried tofu puffs
200 g bean sprouts
1.8 litres chicken stock

Crab patty seasoning

1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp white pepper

Broth seasoning

1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lime juice

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — ingredients

02

Tools

large soup pot
saucepan
mixing bowl
ladle
skimmer
cutting board
kitchen knife
colander
food thermometer

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — tools

03

Steps

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Cook and drain noodles

Step 1

Cook and drain noodles

Cook rice vermicelli until just tender, rinse with cool water and drain.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Cut tomatoes and tofu

Step 2

Cut tomatoes and tofu

Cut tomatoes into wedges and tofu puffs into bite-size pieces.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Mix crab and pork paste

Step 3

Mix crab and pork paste

Combine crab, pork, eggs and patty seasoning, then keep chilled.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Sear the tomatoes

Step 4

Sear the tomatoes

Heat oil in the soup pot and soften half the tomatoes over medium heat.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Build tomato broth

Step 5

Build tomato broth

Add stock and remaining tomatoes, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Poach the patties

Step 6

Poach the patties

Spoon filling into gently bubbling broth without stirring and cook for eight minutes.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Add tofu and simmer

Step 7

Add tofu and simmer

When patties are set, add tofu puffs and simmer for five minutes.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Check patty doneness

Step 8

Check patty doneness

Confirm the largest patty reaches 75°C with no pink pork.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Blanch bean sprouts

Step 9

Blanch bean sprouts

Blanch sprouts separately for one minute, drain and divide among bowls.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Balance the broth

Step 10

Balance the broth

Add fish sauce and sugar, then add lime juice only after turning off the heat.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Divide noodles

Step 11

Divide noodles

Place noodles and sprouts evenly into four large clean bowls.

Vietnamese Crab and Tomato Rice Noodle Soup — Ladle and serve

Step 12

Ladle and serve

Ladle piping-hot broth, patties, tofu and tomatoes over noodles and serve at once.

Common mistakes

Using unpasteurised crab meat.
Tasting patties before they are cooked.
Vigorous stirring breaks the patties.
Cooked noodles touching raw-filling utensils.

Tips

Use pasteurised crab meat; cook patties to 75°C and never reuse the raw-filling bowl or spoon for cooked food.