Beef noodle soup (Pho). A pho-nomenal Vietnamese noodle soup

Vietnamese have an love affair with Pho, you can say we are pho-natics. It's without a doubt, the most popular and most devoured noodle soup in Vietnam. Enjoyed by the millions each day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What makes this noodle soup so special you ask? Well Lets take a closer look.

Bun rieu cua (tomato and crab noodle soup)

Tomatoes are sensational and in season at the moment. That means not only does it taste better but also cheaper as well. To celebrate this wonderful ingredient and take full advantage of the great value, we made bun rieu cua. This soup is best made when tomatoes are in season and at their best. There are so many different layers of flavours in this soup. The combination of tomatoes and crab meat coupled with the aromatic broth is unbelievable. The accompaniments of herbs and cabbage adds another dimension in flavour and texture. This is definitely great for those cold winter days, but like me you'll probably want to have it all year round. Sandra's mum makes the best bun rieu cua, this is an easier and simple version of her recipe.

Recipe

4 litres of pork and chicken stock
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 kg tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 packet of fried tofu, cut into half
1 packet of vermicelli noodle, cook according to manufacturer's instructions

Crab meat balls

5 eggs
200g or lump crab meat or can crab meat
200g mince pork belly
1 handful of dried shrimp, optional
1 jar crab roe sauce,
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp cracked white pepper

Accompaniments

Mix herbs (mint, perilla, Vietnamese mint)
White cabbage, shredded
Coriander, chopped
Spring onion, chopped
Chilli, sliced
Lemon, cut into wedges
Shrimp paste, optional



Method

To prepare the crab meat balls

1. Soak the dried shrimps in hot water for 10mins and mince it in a food processor.
2. Mix all the ingredients together until combined and set aside in fridge until needed.

To prepare the tomatoes and crab meat broth

1. Bring stock to a gentle simmer
2. Using a tablespoon, scoop and lower the crab meat into the soup.
3. Wait until it's cooked, it will raise to the surface.
4. Then add in the tomatoes with the fried tofu and simmer for half an hour.
5. Season with sugar and fish sauce.

To serve

1. Add a handful of vermicelli noodles to a large bowl.
2. Top up with the soup along with crab meat balls and tofu.
3. Enjoy with accompaniments.





This is my entry to Delicious Vietnam #18, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine which was started by Anh of A Food Lover’s Journey and Hong & Kim of Ravenous Couple. Thanks to bonniebella
of bonniebella for hosting this month.

Mi Vit Quay (Roast duck noodle soup)

Often when I do the grocery shopping at my local Chinese grocer, I find myself stopping by the Chinese roast duck shop next door. Most of the time I would takeaway half a roast duck to have on it's own or with crusty bread. My craving for Chinese BBQ roast meat comes from my father who used to make it to sell at the market in Vietnam. The maltose lacquered and wafer thin skin of the duck is amazing. The combination of mix spices (cinnamon, ginger and star anise) stuffed into cavity to infuse an unique and irresistible flavour like no other.
Mi vit quay is adapted from another classic noodle soup Mi vit tim. This is a much easier recipe to prepare and with very few ingredients. The broth is amazingly aromatic and fills the whole house with the smell of cinnamon, ginger and star anise. It will have your friends and guest thinking you spent many hours preparing this soup.

Recipe

1 Chinese roast duck, reserve the sauce from the duck's cavity
2 onion, peeled
1 dozen dried shaitaki mushroom
4 Lt chicken stock or can chicken stock
1 tsp five spice

500g fresh egg noodles
1 bunch of gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
or choy sum (Chinese flowering cabbage)
1/2 cup spring onion, chopped
1/2 cup coriander, chopped
1/2 cup crispy Asian shallots

Method

Duck broth

1. When buying roast duck, ask the seller to reserve the sauce from cavity and cut it into 8 portions.
2. Soak the dried shaitaki mushrooms into in hot water and set aside.
3. In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to simmer and add the onions, shaitaki mushrooms, five spice and reserve duck sauce. Skim off any impurity that rises to the surface and let it simmer for 1/2 an hour. Check for seasoning, add little more salt if needed.

To serve

1. Add the duck pieces to the duck broth.
2. In a stock pot, bring 3Lt of water to a rolling boil and cook the gai lan and set aside.
3. Using a wired noodle strainer, add a handful of egg noodles into the strainer.
4. Lower it into the boiling water and stir the noodle for about 30 seconds to a minute.
5. Remove and strain the egg noodles into a large soup bowl.
6. Add the duck, mushrooms, gai lan and top up with the soup.
7. Enjoy with some spring onions and coriander.

Note: If using can stock, use 2Lt of can chicken stock to 2Lt of water.





This is my entry to Delicious Vietnam #17, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine which was started by Anh of A Food Lover’s Journey and Hong & Kim of Ravenous Couple. Thanks to Phuoc of phuocndelicious for hosting this month.

Sup banh canh cua (Crab meat soup with Prawn dumplings)

Clearly, noodles and soups are very popular among Vietnamese people. Growing up in Vietnam, we where very blessed to have various hawker stall vendors just outside our doorsteps. With each vendor specialising in a particular dish and recipes that has being handed down from one generation to the next. As you walk by each vendor, the aroma would entice your senses and induce you to stop by. And perhaps hand over some money for sample of their offering. Without a doubt, banh canh cua is definitely one of my weakness and will have me reaching into my pocket every time I walk by. Banh canh cua is an aromatic crab meat noodle soup, which has been thicken slightly with tapioca starch and it's among one of my favourite noodle soups. I learnt this recipe for Sandra's mum, whom is without a doubt in my opinion, one of the most knowledgeable people in Vietnamese cuisine. I have played around and made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe. As I have said before, I believe recipe should only be used as a guideline. Hope you give a try and perhaps put your own spin on it. This soup is packed with flavour and has a luxuriously silken texture. It's brilliant as a main or can easily be made into a starter or entree size soup. Serve it which ever way you like, it's delicious that I promise you.

Recipe

3 ltrs of chicken stock
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp annatto seeds
2 cup crab meat, or can crab lump meat.
2 egg
1 bag of fresh banh canh (tapioca udon noodles)


Prawn dumplings

1/2 kg prawns, shell remove and deviened
6 shallot, white stem
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper, grounded


Accompaniments

bean sprouts
shallots
coriander
crispy fried eshallots
white pepper
lemon wedges

Method

To make the prawn dumplings

1. Remove shell, head and devein the prawns. Frozen prawns are also great because the work is already done for you.
2. With the flat side of a clever, smash the prawns a couple at a time and set aside.
3. Chop and add the shallot to a mortar with the salt and white pepper. Pound to a rough paste and add in the prawns. Pound for a couple of minutes to until it becomes a uniform prawn paste.
4. Put into a container and refrigerate until needed.


To make the soup

1. Put the annatto seeds in a large bowl and add a cup of boiling water. Set aside for an hour to let the colour infuse into the water.
2. Bring the chicken stock to a boil.
3. With a tablespoon, scoop the prawn paste into a ball and drop it into the chicken stock. repeat with as many as needed
4. Strain in the annatto water, add to the stock and stir in the crab meat. Season with sugar and fish sauce, adjust seasoning to taste.


To serve

1. Beat the eggs lightly and set aside.
2. Bring soup to a boil and drop in the udon noodles. Stir a couple of time to separate and prevent the udon noodles from sticking to each other. (cut udon noodles into 1 inch long if serving as an entree or starter). The starch coating the udon noodles will thicken the soup slightly.
3. While stirring, drizzling slowly in a thin stream the beaten eggs into the soup to create what is called an egg flower.
4. To serve, add a little bean sprouts to a bowl and top up with the soup.
5. Enjoy with freshly cracked pepper and a touch lemon juice. To finish, sprinkle on some crispy fried eshallots, chopped coriander and spring onions.

Note: I like to use fresh banh canh udon noodle, it has a coating of tapioca flour on it (unlike Vietnamese banh canh udon noodles). It not only thickens the soup but to me has a softer and more silken texture.

Chao ca nam bao ngo (Congee with fish and abalone mushroom )

Often when the weather is cold and miserable, there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of congee. Congee is a delicious rice porridge that is often enjoyed with Yar char kway (Chinese fried cruller). It is also often eaten when one is sick or unwell to nourish back to health. I used to remember without fail, mum would make a big bowl of plain congee often with salted duck eggs when I was sick. Congee is made with the most basic of ingredients, mainly rice and water. The secret to a great congee is to pre-soaking the rice and a long rolling boil until the rice breaks down and disintegrate. Resulting in a deliciously creamy and silky texture. On it's own congee is quiet plain but however, it's a great carrier of flavours. You can pretty much add any flavours you like, chicken, pork, fish or seafood, the combinations are endless. I just love congee to bits, no matter if it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. I used to have to make the journey to superbowl, a very popular destination for congee in Sydney. Not any more, this is a simple and delicious recipe anyone can replicate and enjoy at home.


Recipe

1 cup of Jasmine rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1 can chicken stock, optional

1/2 kg fish fillets, sliced into 1/2cm thick.
1 can of abalone mushroom, sliced into 1/2cm thick.
1 knob of ginger, julienned

Accompaniments

Yau char kway (Chinese fried cruller)
shallots, finely chopped
coriander, finely chopped
roasted peanuts
crispy eshallots
white pepper

Method

1. Wash, rinse and drain the rice a couple of times. Add salt, olive oil plus a cup of water to the rice and set aside for 1/2 an hour.
2. Bring 4 litres of water to the boil and add the soaked rice. Stir occasionally to stop rice from sticking to the bottom.
3. Let it boil for about an hour, until the rice grains starts to breaks down and disintegrate. Top up with more water or chicken stock if congee becomes too thick.
4. Before serving add in the fish, abalone mushroom and ginger. The fish shouldn't take long to cook at all.
5. To serve, top up a large bowl with the congee and enjoy with the accompaniments.

Bun nuoc leo (Fermented fish soup with vemicelli rice noodle)

Bun nuoc leo or 'Bun mam' as I call it, is a recipe request made by Lyn, a very supportive follower and dear friend. Althought, I have devoured many Bun mam during my life time and seen my mum, aunties and others make it. I have never actually attempted at making it myself. Bun mam is an acquired taste, it's made from fermented fish called 'Man ca sac' which is infuse into the broth. Be warned when making this, 'man ca sac' has a very strong aroma or smell, which ever way you want to call it. I would suggest you make this soup outdoors and preferably the night before when the neighbours are asleep and their doors and windows are shut. Like many Vietnamese, we grow up eating this and welcome it, when ever and where ever we can get it. I love the aroma and flavour of this fish broth, it's a soup like no other. And to test it out, I had some friends over for dinner and to my surprise and joy wanted seconds. And you know it's pretty good when people come back for a second helping.


Recipe

Fish broth

1 jar mam ca sac (Vietnamese fermented gourami fish sauce)
3 lemongrass stalks, cut into 5cm long and bruised
1 large chunk of galangal, cut into 1/2 cm slice
10 kaffar lime leaves
4 lt chicken stock
1 cup of sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp man ruoc (optional)

2 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup lemongrass, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 kg egg plant
1/2 kg ling fish, cut into 1 cm thick slices
1/2 kg prawns, peeled and deveined
1/2 lkg roast pork, cut into 1 cm thick slices
1 bag Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodles

Accompaniments

Vietnamese herbs
Bean sprouts
Flat-leaf chives, cut into 2-inch sections
water spinach
Ground chilli
Lemon wedges

Method

1. Empty one jar of mam ca sac into a small saucepan with 1 litre of water and bring to the boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and let it simmer for 30 mins.
2. Pour the chicken stock into a large stock pot and strain the man ca sac stock into it as well.
3. Add the lemongrass, galangal and kaffar lime leave and simmer for an hour. Strain any impurities than rises to the surface.
4. Season with sugar, fish sauce and mam ruoc.
5. Add the oil to a frying pan on medium heat, saute the lemongrass and garlic with the turmeric powder until fragrant. Then add it to the fish stock.
6. Cut the eggplant into large chunks and add to fish broth 30 mins prior to serving.
7. Bring fish broth to the boil, using a noodle strainer cook the fish in the broth and set aside. Followed by the prawns and set aside.
8. Taste and test for seasoning, add little more sugar or fish sauce to your liking.
8.Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To serve

1. Add couple of prawns, fish and roast pork into a noodle strainer, followed by the vermicelli noodles.
2. Bring the fish broth to boil and lower the meats and noodles into the fish broth for 30 seconds or just enough to reheat the noodles.
3. Strain and put into a large soup bowl, top up with the fish broth and some eggplants.
4. Enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and accompaniments.