Hanoi crab noodle soup

“Bun rieu cua” is a gift that has not been loved by culinary writers of old Hanoi such as Thach Lam and Vu Bang, so it has not been recorded in the same works of these tastes, such as pho, banh cuon, and vermicelli. Thang… Although there are “disadvantages” but today, in Hanoi, vermicelli is rising above, becoming the most popular gift. The proof is that right from the first day of Tet, this dish has been “hunted” by diners and the price of a bowl of crab noodle soup is up to hundreds of thousands but still crowded. Noodles are delicious or not, the most important thing is the water. use. The Hanoi-style broth must have a mild sour taste of vinegar and tomatoes, bringing out the light sweetness of field crabs. The market grandmothers clean the field crabs, pound them and put them in water, filter them thoroughly, then decant the crab water into the pot, gently stir and simmer until the crabs emerge in pieces.

The soul of the dish is the pot of broth and each shopkeeper has his own family secret in making the broth to attract customers. Looking at the pot of red broth, the color of tomatoes, sparkling with golden crabs, it’s hard to resist.

Bun rieu is often eaten with chili peppers and mixed vegetables such as: banana flowers, lettuce, finely chopped perilla mixed with tamarind and a few stalks of Lang basil. If you add a little shrimp paste, the flavor of the bowl of vermicelli noodles becomes even more intense. Over the years, vermicelli has changed a lot, sellers have combined crab noodles with all kinds of fatty foods to please diners. . The first is the fried bean curd, then the snail, then the blanched beef crab (corn), add the ear rolls, the “cow” silk rolls with the crab in the vermicelli bowl. Then the dish of crab and duck eggs, the crab with pork shank, the cartilage ribs… makes the vermicelli bowl full and less of the rustic part.

However, when they are too “full”, many people like to return to the frugal, simple taste of the old vermicelli bowl, without the need for more beef, pork, or anything else. It is the delicate taste of the bowl of vermicelli mixed with the fragrant smell of fried onions that makes people remember forever.