Bún riêu is a Vietnamese meat rice vermicelli soup. There are several varieties of bún riêu, including bún riêu cua, bún riêu cá, and bún riêu ôc.

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Serves Four

Crab meat paste adds its distinctive color to this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10½ oz (300 g) rice vermicelli
• 12 cups chicken or pork stock (see Directions for Chicken Soup Stock below)
• ¼ cup dried shrimp (tôm khô), soaked in water
• 1 tomato
• 5 medium sized fried tofu (halved)
  
• 1 green onion
• 3 oz (90 g) ground pork or chicken
• 2 tablespoon (tbsp) store-bought crab meat paste
• ½ tbsp fish sauce
• 2 teaspoon (tsp) sugar
• ½ tsp fine shrimp sauce
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook rice vermicelli in boiling water until softened.  Drain and set aside.  Soak dried shrimp until softened.
2. Slide tomato and green onion.
3. Combine ground meat, crab meat paste, ½ tbsp fish sauce, fine shrimp sauce, dried shrimp, sugar and paprika.  Add beaten eggs, and mix in a blender.  Blend well.
4. Pour meat mixture into boiling stock.  Season stock with fish sauce and sugar.  Add tomato and tofu.  In a large soup bowl, place noodles and pour over soup.

Serve Bun Rieu with plenty of fresh herbs and veggies. Common accompaniments include:

• Chopped green onion and cilantro
• Perilla, mint, lime wedges
• Bean sprouts
• Split Rau Muong stems (Rau Muong che)
• Fine Fermented Shrimp Paste (Mam Tôm)

Chicken Soup Stock ¿ Makes about 12 cups:

• 4½ lbs (2 kg) chicken backbone, neck and wings or
• 1 whole chicken, cut up
• ½" (1.5 cm) cube fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, sliced into 1" (2.5 cm) length
• 12½ cups water

1. In a large saucepan, put all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Skim off scum and fat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 - 1½ hours.  Skim occasionally while simmering, uncovered.
2. Strain stock through a sieve.
3. When cooled, keep in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  Remove hardened fat off from the surface.