Bánh đa cua, Haiphong crab noodle soup

Ingredients

• 500 g of sweetwater crab
• 200 g of lean pork
• 3 tomatoes
• 400 g of rice noodle sheets (red or white)
• 1 plate of cha la lot (ground pork rolled in betel leaves)
• 1 bunch of water spinach (rau muống)
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 tablespoon of tamarind pulp
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste (mắm tôm)
• 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder
• salt
• Green onions and cilantro
• A variety of raw vegetables
• lime or kumquat, fresh chili peppers, spicy sauce
• pepper

Wash the crabs in several changes of water, remove the shell and the apron, and save the coral from the shells.

Crush or blend the crab bodies, add a little salt and water, mix well, then filter to collect the juice. Repeat this process once or twice, and discard the remaining solids.

Heat this juice gently over low heat, without covering, and stir gently to prevent the flesh from sticking.

Just before boiling, stop stirring: the crab meat will rise to the surface and form flakes; collect it in a large bowl using a skimmer.

Add the tamarind to the broth and let it simmer, then mash it with a little broth and pour this acidic juice back into the saucepan.

Season with the powdered seasoning, salt, and a small amount of shrimp paste.

Sauté the chopped shallots and garlic in the oil, then add the crab meat. Cook quickly and pour over the crab.

Heat the chopped tomatoes in the same frying pan, then add them to the broth.

Cut the pork into thin slices and cook it briefly in the broth.

Wash and chop the watercress and celery, then blanch them briefly to keep them crisp.

Soak the noodles in cold water to soften them, then briefly blanch them in boiling water and arrange them in bowls.

Garnish with pork, shrimp, crab meat, and vegetables, then pour in boiling broth almost to the top.

Serve with lime, hot pepper, spicy sauce, pepper, herbs, and raw vegetables.