Learn how to make my Grandma's Bún Riêu! Deliciously light, savoury broth with tomatoes, crab meatballs, noodles, and fresh herbs. This is truly an unsung hero in Vietnamese cuisine!
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What is bún riêu?
Bún riêu is a Vietnamese traditional noodle soup. It's made with a light pork-bone broth with loads of tomatoes and green onions as a base. There's lots of chewy rice vermicelli noodles.
It also has meatballs (riêu) made of ground pork, pounded crab meat, shrimp, egg, and fish sauce. There's also bouncy pieces of fried tofu, giving a delightful contrast. It's all topped with a mountain of fresh herbs and served piping hot.
Another name for bún riêu is bún riêu cua (cua means crab). To pronounce bún riêu, you say [buHm reeewww]. That's my best attempt at phonetically spelling it haha!
What does bún riêu taste like?
It tastes like a super savoury porky-crabby-shrimpy-tomatey soup. At the same time, it's light and not heavy at all. It's equal parts umami/salty and fresh (thanks to the herbs).
I wouldn't say it's really an adventurous meal like fermented fish or bault. In fact, it's approachable for anybody new to Viet cuisine especially if they already like pho (but who doesn't?).
How do I find freshly pounded crabs?
I get it, it's not easy to find them! This is only for super authentic and traditional recipes (and if you live near the sea...).
As a substitute, I highly recommend using a jar of pounded crab & shrimp meat with oil. It's commonly sold in Asian grocery stores. It's convenient because it comes with a bright red flavourful oil, imparting bún riêu's signature red broth.
What does bún riêu mean?
Riêu means seam foam in Vietnamese. Bún means noodle. So it kinda means sea foam noodles because the crab-pork-shrimp meatballs resemble sea foam floating on the top of the soup!
Expert Tips for the BEST Results
- Only put in the meatballs in the broth when it's at a gentle simmer - a roiling boil will beat up those meatballs, smashing it into teeny tiny chunks 🙁
- Don't cut the tomato chunks too small because the hot broth will turn them into mush. Cut the tomato into quarters is best so it retains shape.
- Use broth powder if you don't have bones. For this dish specifically, the broth quality doesn't matter too much. I even just use chicken broth powder sometimes and it tastes great.
- Add some fermented shrimp paste to the broth. It gives a je n'ai sais quoi about it! Do not fear the funk!
- Do not omit the fish sauce. It's the key to making it taste right and authentic.
Is bún riêu gluten free?
Yes, it is because it uses rice noodles.
What is the difference between pho and bún riêu?
Pho is a beef-based noodle soup. The broth is also more herbaceous, containing ginger, charred onion, star anise, and various spices. Pho also uses flat, thin noodles in a clear, light broth.
Bún riêu is a seafood-based noodle soup with a crab-tomato-pork based broth. The noodles are rounder in shape. Bún riêu is also bright red (thanks to tomatoes and oil).
Other Vietnamese Recipes
- Vietnamese Iced Tea (Tra Chanh Hanoi) - Low Sugar
- Soda Chanh Recipe (Vietnamese Lime Soda)
- Mango Chia Pudding (Vegan)
- How to Cut a Mango with a Pit - SECRET HACKS
Bún Riêu Recipe
Grandma's Bún Riêu Recipe (Vietnamese Crab Tomato Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
Noodles
- 1 lb thin rice vermicelli noodles
Broth
- 32 cups Pork or chicken broth or ¾ stock pot full
- 5 whole Tomatoes sliced into quarters
- 1 whole Onion cut in half
- 3 tablespoon Fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Fermented shrimp paste
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
Meatballs
- 3 cups ground pork
- ⅓ cup dried shrimp rehydrated and minced
- 1 cup crab (or crab mince)
- 3 egg
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Toppings (to serve)
- 10 pieces Fried tofu optional
- 5 stalks Green onion minced
Herbs (to serve)
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 1 cup Bean sprouts
- 1 cup Mint
- 1 cup Thai Basil
- Thai chilli
Instructions
Noodles
- Cook noodles according to package instructions. When done, set aside.
Broth
- Heat a pot of broth to a gentle boil. Add quartered tomato chunks and the halved onions. Then, add tomato paste, fish sauce, sugar, and fermented shrimp paste (optional). Lower heat to a gentle simmer for ~30 minutes.
Meatballs
- Then, mix pork, shrimp, crab, egg, pepper, fish sauce in a bowl.Mix well until it forms a paste. Set aside.
- Turn broth heat up to a gentle BOIL. When gently boiling, scoop ~¼ cup of the meatball paste and let it fall into the broth. Do not break it apart. Repeat until all paste is used.
- Turn heat down to a simmer for ~20 more minutes to let meatballs fully cook. Add pieces of fried tofu to the broth now, if desired.
Serve
- Put noodles in each bowl. Scoop broth, meatballs, and tofu into each bowl. Serve with fresh herbs on the side.
Notes
- Only put in the meatballs in the broth when it's at a gentle simmer - a roiling boil will beat up those meatballs, smashing it into teeny tiny chunks 🙁
- Don't cut the tomato chunks too small because the hot broth will turn them into mush. Cut the tomato into quarters is best so it retains shape.
- Use broth powder if you don't have bones. For this dish specifically, the broth quality doesn't matter too much. I even just use chicken broth powder sometimes and it tastes great.
- Add some fermented shrimp paste to the broth. It gives a je n'ai sais quoi about it! Do not fear the funk!
- Do not omit the fish sauce. It's the key to making it taste right and authentic.
