Banh canh cua
Photo: bánh canh cu · CC0

History

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.

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Common allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Fish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 35 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 800g pork bones
  • 2 whole crabs, steamed, meat picked
  • 400g fresh banh canh (tapioca-rice) noodles
  • 150g minced pork, rolled into small balls
  • 8 quail eggs, boiled
  • 2 tbsp tapioca starch slurry (to thicken)
  • Fish sauce, sugar, white pepper
  • Fried shallots, spring onion and lime to serve

Method

  1. Simmer the pork bones in 2 litres of water for 1 hour, skimming, then strain.
  2. Season the broth with fish sauce and a little sugar, add the pork balls and cook through.
  3. Stir in the tapioca slurry a little at a time until the broth is thick enough to coat a spoon.
  4. Add the banh canh noodles and quail eggs and simmer briefly.
  5. Fold in most of the crab meat, then ladle into bowls, top with the rest of the crab, fried shallots, spring onion and plenty of white pepper. Serve with lime.

Tip from the editors. Add the tapioca slurry gradually; the broth should be thick and clinging but still pourable, not a paste.

Where to eat banh canh cua

Banh canh cua in Ho Chi Minh City

Banh Canh Cua 87 ★ 4.3

$ VietnameseTan Dinh

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.

OrderThe full banh canh cua loaded with crab and quail eggs.

TipIt is a busy sidewalk stall with plastic stools; go mid-afternoon to beat the crowd.

Directions

Banh Canh Ghe Muoi Ot Xanh ★ 4.0

$ SeafoodDistrict 10

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.

OrderBanh canh ghe with a whole sea crab and the green-chili salt.

TipCrack the crab into the soup and dip the meat in the green-chili salt on the side.

Directions

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