Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Banh Canh Cua - Vietnamese Thick Noodles in Crab Soup Recipe



Hello guys! Today I have decided to do something different. I have created a Youtube channel especially for this blog and I've uploaded my first (cooking) video! For this recipe, I have conducted all the information I found online and created my own version of Banh Canh Cua! If you live in any Asian country, lucky you because you'll be able to find every single ingredient from the original recipe. However, for some of you who are currently living in Western countries, I know it'd be harder for you guys to find such ingredients. I feel you haha! It's really hard to find the exactly same ingredients here in the United States, unless you live in California. So I've created this recipe especially for foreigners and studying abroad students. I hope you guys enjoy! 


Here is my video recipe on Youtube: 




Ingredients: 

Shrimp Cakes: 

1. 1/2 lb. of headless shrimp
2. 2-4 garlic gloves (mashed)
3. 1 tsp. of all-purpose flour/corn starch
4. 1 tsp. sugar
5. 1/2 tsp. salt
6. 1 tsp. pork/chicken powder
7. 1 Cup of vegetable (cooking) oil

Broth: 

1. 8 oz. of crab chunks
2. 5-6 shrimps with shells 
3. 1/2 tsp. sugar
4. Salt
5. Fish sauce
6. 1/2 tsp. pork powder
7. Shrimps shells (leftovers from Shrimp Cakes)
8. ~3 bowls of water

Coloring Oil:

1. Cooking oil
2. 1/8 Cup of Paprika 

Toppings: 

1. 6 oz. of crab meat
2. 1 tsp. fish sauce
3. 1 tsp. pork powder
4. Salt
5. 1/3 Paprika oil (from Coloring Oil Step)
6. Udon noodles/Vietnamese thick noodles 
7. 1/2 tsp. corn starch/tapioca starch 
8. Vietnamese Cilantro
9. Green onions/scallions 
10. Bean sprouts 
11. Straw mushrooms (optional)
12. 1/2 lb pork lean (optional)


Recipe:

1. Wash 1/2 lb. of shrimps under cool running water. Take off the shells (but don't throw them away!) and take out the black veins on the shrimps' backs (these veins are basically waste). Wash them once again and dry with kitchen towel. 

2. Mash about 2-3 gloves of garlic in pestle and mortar then put the shrimps in and continue mashing until combined. You can either marinate the shrimps before mashing or marinate the shrimps after mashing (Marinate with 1 tsp. of sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pork powder). After that, add about 1tsp. of corn starch in the shrimp paste to hold everything together. 

3. Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a small skillet over high heat. Shape the shrimp paste into small and round balls (aka "shrimp cakes"). Wait until the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium then put the shrimp cakes in. There should be a 1/2 inch distance from each of the shrimp cakes to prevent sticking. Deep fry until the shrimp cakes reach golden brown color on both sides. Take them out and put on a kitchen towel to let the towel absorbs all the excess oil. 

4. Marinate 8 oz. of crab chunks and 5-6 shrimps (with shells) with 1 tsp. of sugar, a pinch of salt, a bit of fish sauce, and 1/2 tsp. pork powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

5. In a medium pot, pour in a little bit of cooking oil. Wait until the oil is hot enough, toss in some mashed garlic and stir until golden brown. After that, put in the shrimp shells in and stir until they're cooked. Put the shrimps & crab chunks mixture in the pot and stir until cooked. Then, add about 3 bowls of water (depends on the servings) then bring to a boil. After it's boiled, lower the heat to low and  shimmer for about 30 minutes - 1 hour. Season to your taste; I usually add pork powder/fish sauce.

*For this step, you can substitute the shrimp shells with pork bones/chicken bones. I couldn't get any the day I was cooking so I just improvised (and it also made the recipe easier).

6. Meanwhile, make the Paprika coloring oil. In a small skillet/pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot enough, put in about 1/8 cup of Paprika powder and stir constantly until it's all dissolved and has a nice red color. Turn off the heat and pour the oil into a bowl.

*The original recipe requires annatto oil (from annatto seed) which I can't find it anywhere in the supermarket. But if you have it, you can substitute it with Paprika.

7. Marinate 6 oz. of crab meat with 1 tsp. of fish sauce, 1 tsp. of pork powder, a little bit of salt and 1 tsp. of sugar. You can also add the coloring oil to make the color appear better.


8. Heat up a small skillet with a bit of oil. Cook the crab meat for about 1-2 minutes then leave it aside.


For the toppings, you can also add some straw mushrooms in the broth if you like. Plus, you can also cook a small piece of pork lean in the broth/separate pot and cut it into thin slices to serve with the soup later on.


9. Pour 1/3 of Paprika coloring oil in the broth for better coloring.


10. Mix 1/2 tsp. of corn starch with water and pour it evenly on the surface of the broth then stir well; this will make the soup thicken. If you do not wish your soup to be thick, skip this step.


11. Either drain/cook the Udon/Vietnamese thick noodles in the broth and it out into a nice bowl.


And now, time for assembling!


12. Assemble the bowl of noodles with cooked crab meat, thin sliced pork, some deep fried shrimp cakes, Vietnamese cilantro, bean sprouts, scallions, fried shallots (optional) and pour the soup on top.


There you go, a delicious and traditional Vietnamese noodles in thick crab soup! :)


Happy cooking, 

Cheers,

August 7, 2013 

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