Passport & Plate - Bun Rieu
USA | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Main dish
-ripe tomatoes (2 lb.)
- 5 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- fresh tofu (325g)
- fried tofu puffs (4 oz)
- chicken broth (48 oz)
- water (12 oz)
- 2 eggs
- 2 soft-shell crabs (~ 6 oz crab meat)
- 1 jar of crab roe paste (6 oz)
- ground pork (1 lb.)
- ground shrimp, fresh or dried (1 lb.)
- 1/2 teaspoon broth powder, chicken flavored
- sugar
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 pack of rice vermicelli (1 lb.)
Garnish
- mung bean sprouts
- fresh perilla leaves
- fresh peppermint leaves
How to prepare this recipe
The dish consists of several parts. You want to prepare the meatballs first.
1) mix ground pork and ground shrimp together thoroughly
2) mince 2 garlic cloves, then add it to pork and shrimp mixture
3) add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of broth powder, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of ground black pepper, mix together thoroughly
4) mush mixture with hands or utensil, then form into meatballs, ~1 inch in diameter each, then set the meatballs aside
Next, you want to prepare the crab paste.
1) mix crab meat and crab roe paste in a bowl
2) crack 2 eggs into the bowl, mix together thoroughly, then place aside
Now, you will prepare the tomatoes.
1) slice tomatoes into wedges
2) take a pan and heat it on medium/high, add oil to the pan
3) add tomato wedges into the pan, sauté tomato wedges for 3 mins, then turn off the heat and let it cool
Finally, you will make the soup.
1) add chicken broth into a pot
2) add 12 oz of water into the pot, then turn heat to high and let it boil
3) add meatballs into the soup, cook for 5 minutes
4) once the meatballs float on the surface of the liquid, take them out of the soup and place them in a container
5) now, you will add the crab mixture into the soup. Be careful, this step can be tricky. Place tablespoonful of the paste gently into the soup
6) add diced cubes of tofu into the soup, add them from the side of the pot to avoid hitting the paste
7) add sautéed tomato wedges into the soup, add meatballs and tomato puffs
8) let the soup continue to boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat
Next:
1) on a separate pan, add oil, and sauté thin slices of shallots
2) add the sautéed shallots into soup
The soup is complete. To prepare the rice vermicelli, it would be best to follow instructions on the package. Usually, you want to add the dried rice vermicelli in boiled water. Then take it out after 10-15 minutes and let it cool.
Garnish consists of the mung bean sprouts, shredded perilla and peppermint.
The story behind this recipe
I came to the United States when I was a toddler in 1990. My sister, who emigrated from Vietnam, came to the States two years before that. She is an amazing woman, a true survivor. Fleeing the country by boat is a journey refugees like her would never forget. And while she temporarily resided in the Philippines for a year, she often did her best to prepare Vietnamese dishes with whatever is available on the island. Bun Rieu has always been her favorite dish, and despite the lack of ingredients on the island, she would always manage to create it. Her tales of recreating traditional dishes from simple ingredients have inspired me to live life with creativity, a positive attitude, adventure, and perseverance. This dish is her story, and one that I hold on to dearly.
