Bún riêu

Production

Bún riêu cua is served with tomato broth and topped with minced freshwater crab. In this dish, various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in rice paddies in Vietnam. The crabs are cleaned to remove dirt and sand, then pounded together (with the shell still on) into a fine paste. This paste is then strained— the liquid becoming the base for the soup along with tomato, and the solids used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients for this dish include tamarind paste, fried tofu, mẻ or giấm bỗng (kinds of rice vinegar), quả dọc (Garcinia multiflora), annatto seeds (hạt điều màu) to redden the broth, huyết (congealed pig's blood), split water spinach stems, shredded banana flower, rau kinh giới (Elsholtzia ciliata), spearmint, perilla, bean sprouts and chả chay (vegetarian sausage). This dish is rich in nutrition: calcium from the ground crab shells, iron from the congealed pig's blood, and vitamins and fiber from the vegetables.

Bún riêu has a fresh sour flavor, so Vietnamese people like to enjoy it in summer. There are many restaurants in Vietnam that sell this dish.

Ingredients

• Paddy crabs (crab meat and crab roe) (cua đồng, gạch cua)
• Tomato (cà chua)
• Egg
• Souring agents like Garcinia multiflora (quả dọc), dracontomelon (quả sấu), tamarind (quả me), starfruit (quả khế), rice vinegar (mẻ or giấm bỗng)
• Onion
• Fried tofu
• Accompanying greens: sliced banana flowers (hoa chuối thái nhỏ), water spinach (rau muống)
• Herbs: perilla (tía tô), Vietnamese balm (kinh giới)

References

References

1. Aruna Thaker, Arlene Barton ''Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics'' 2012 Page 171 "Bún riêu: Noodle soup .."
2. [[Vietweek]] May 18th 2012 print edition [https://archive.today/20130203172254/http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/pages/20120512-the-market-beyond-the-hedge.aspx The market beyond the hedge] "Not surprisingly, seasoned shoppers at Phung Hung delight in the fermented fiat of a soup so pungent, it makes bún riêu seem like a Cup-o-Noodles. [[Bún mắm]] allegedly came from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, where Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese communities have intermingled for centuries."
3. Hai, Minh. (2021-05-29). "Công thức làm bún riêu cua thơm ngon ngọt nước cho bữa sáng gia đình".
4. Dang, Luu. (2023-07-21). "Cách nấu bún riêu cua đồng đậm đà, thơm ngon và chuẩn vị".
5. Phac. (2025-01-14). "Cua đồng là gì? Cua đồng sống ở đâu và ăn gì để sống?".