A thick, gluey crab noodle soup of chewy tapioca-and-rice noodles in a starchy, savoury broth loaded with crab meat, pork, quail eggs and cha, finished with black pepper and a squeeze of lime. Comforting, rich and unmistakably Saigon.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Banh canh takes its name from its noodles, short thick strands of tapioca and rice flour with a slippery, chewy bite quite unlike pho's flat noodles. The cua version, with crab, is a Saigon favourite, its broth deliberately thickened until it clings. Tan Dinh's sidewalk stalls, including the long-running Banh Canh Cua 87, turned a single bowl into an institution, and coastal variants like banh canh ghe swap sea crab and a green-chili salt. It is eaten at all hours, a heavier, stickier counterpoint to the city's clear-broth noodle soups.
Common allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Fish
Tip from the editors. Add the tapioca slurry gradually; the broth should be thick and clinging but still pourable, not a paste.
Banh Canh Cua 87 is a Tan Dinh sidewalk institution with a single-minded focus: a thick, savoury crab noodle soup of tapioca noodles, crab and quail eggs.
Signature: Banh canh cua, Crab tapioca noodle soup
Order: The full banh canh cua loaded with crab and quail eggs.
Tip: It is a busy sidewalk stall with plastic stools; go mid-afternoon to beat the crowd.
This District 10 counter is known for banh canh ghe, a thick tapioca noodle soup piled with sea crab and served with tangy green-chili salt.
Signature: Banh canh ghe, Crab tapioca noodle soup, Green chili salt
Order: Banh canh ghe with a whole sea crab and the green-chili salt.
Tip: Crack the crab into the soup and dip the meat in the green-chili salt on the side.
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