Bún riêu

A vibrant reddish broth featuring fluffy clouds of shrimp and pork mixture. The acidity of cooked tomatoes perfectly balances the bold depth of fermented shrimp paste.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 45 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 813
• Protein: 49 g
• Carbs: 95 g
• Fat: 24 g

Ingredients

• 300 g Ground pork ( plain )
• 200 g Shrimp grise ( peeled and minced )
• 3 piece Egg ( beaten )
• 1 tbsp shrimp paste ( diluted )
• 4 piece Round tomato ( in wedges )
• 200 g tofu ( in fried cubes )
• 400 g Dried rice vermicelli ( rehydrated )
• 2 piece Shallot ( finely chopped )
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1.5 L Mineral water
• 1 tbsp White sugar
• 150 g Crab ( drained )
• 1 tbsp Annatto seeds ( to infuse in oil )

Instructions

1. Preparation of the aromatic base

   In a large pot, heat some oil with the annatto seeds (hat-dieu-mau) until the oil turns bright red, then remove the seeds. Sauté the minced shallots with the paprika. Add the quartered tomatoes and let them cook down until they color the bottom of the pot.

2. Making the Riêu

   Mix the ground pork, finely chopped grey shrimp, crab meat (gach-cua), beaten eggs, and shrimp paste. Pepper generously. This mixture should be homogeneous and slightly sticky.

3. Cooking the broth

   Add the mineral water. Bring to a simmer. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and drop them gently into the liquid. Do not stir: the mixture must coagulate and rise to the surface like small clouds.

4. Finishing and seasoning

   Add the diced tofu. Season with fish sauce and sugar to achieve a salty-acidic balance. The broth should remain clear; skim if necessary.

Chef's tips

• Never stir the broth once the meat mixture is added, or the 'clouds' will break apart.
• If the broth becomes cloudy, strain it through a fine mesh sieve before adding the tofu.
• The final balance is achieved drop by drop with fish sauce and lime juice right before serving.

Storage

Store the broth and meat mixture separately from the noodles. Keeps for 2 days in the fridge.