Bún Riêu

Make Ahead and Storage

The broth keeps 3 days refrigerated. Make the crab clouds fresh.

Bún Riêu: The Method

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1. Beat the crab meat, eggs, minced pork, 1 tbsp of the fish sauce and the pepper together. Set aside.

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2. Fry the annatto seeds in the oil for 1 minute until it runs orange, then strain the seeds out.

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3. Fry the shallots in the annatto oil for 4 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

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4. Pour in the stock, add the tamarind, sugar and remaining fish sauce and bring to a simmer.

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5. Turn the heat down so the broth is barely moving.

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6. Pour the crab mixture in slowly across the surface.

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7. Leave it completely alone for 2 minutes, until it rises and sets into soft clouds.

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8. Push the clouds gently to one side and add the tofu puffs. Simmer 3 minutes.

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9. Soak or boil the vermicelli as the packet directs and divide between bowls.

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10. Ladle the broth over, lift the crab clouds on top, and serve with herbs, beansprouts and lime.

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Related guide: Choosing rice.

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Worth Knowing

• Pour the crab mixture in and do not touch it.
• A bare simmer — a rolling boil breaks the clouds up.
• Annatto for the colour, strained out after a minute.

Some Background

The crab and egg mixture is poured into simmering broth and then left completely alone for two minutes. It rises and sets into soft clouds on its own; stir it and you get cloudy broth with crab dust in it and nothing to eat. Push it gently to the side once it has set and let the broth clear again before serving.

What to Put Next to It

Perilla leaves · Shrimp paste on the side · Lime and chilli

Swaps and Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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