ramyaramesh3007This comforting and flavourful noodle soup dish features a sweet and tangy tomato broth, vegan ‘crab cakes’, herbs and tofu puffs.
Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup features a rich, flavourful and tangy broth made with crab, often served with thick rice vermicelli, and topped with crab meat, herbs, and fried shallots. The soup is a popular dish in central and southern Vietnam, especially in coastal areas where crab is abundant!
In this version, we’ll be making a plant based rendition of this dish by making vegan ‘crab’ cakes using hearts of palm and extra firm tofu. Hearts of palm is one of my favourite seafood substitutes due to its versatile flavour and flaky fish-like texture. It comes together nicely for these vegan crab cakes that we will be serving in this dish.
This noodle soup is the definition of comfort food and the broth itself only takes about 15 minutes to make. If you have ‘crab’ cakes prepared and frozen, you can whip up this meal in under 25 minutes – it’s always the prep that takes more time but your past self will definitely thank you future self with this one.
Ingredients You Need
- aromatics – white onion or shallots, ginger, garlic
- fruits – tomatoes
- toppings – tofu puffs
- noodles – rice stick noodles but you can’t find these, thick rice noodles or udon noodles can be substituted!
- condiments – sweetener like agave or maple syrup, vegan fish sauce (substitute with gluten free light soy sauce)
- vegan crab and shrimp mixture
- hearts of palm
- extra firm tofu
- lemon juice
- roasted nori sheets or flakes or powder
- aromatics – garlic and shallots
- old bay seasoning – you can also use separate spices if you have them!
- flaxseed meal – for binding the mixture
Gluten free substitutions: Use gluten free soy sauce.
Allium free substitutions: Substitute onion and garlic with a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
Vietnamese Tomato ‘Crab’ Noodle Soup (Bún Riêu)
Ingredients
Vegan Crab and Shrimp Cakes
- 1 can hearts of palm 450g or 5 sticks
- 450 g extra firm tofu
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 shallots chopped
- 1 nori sheet toasted and ground
- 1.5 tbsp old bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 3 tbsp water
- 5 tbsp corn starch
Tomato Broth
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 white onion sub 6 shallots
- 3 slices ginger
- 6 cups water
- 1 pack tofu puffs
- 1 sheet dried kelp
- 1 tbsp agave
- 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 2 tsp anatto powder optional, for colour
- salt if required
Toppings
- 3-4 servings rice noodles
- chopped mint leaves
- chopped coriander
- 2 limes
- 1 red chili
- chili oil
Instructions
- Combine flaxseed meal with water and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. This would be our 'egg' substitute.
- Start by making vegan 'crab' cakes – shred hearts of palm and crumble tofu. Add toasted and ground nori sheet flakes/powder and combine well.
- Add old bay seasoning, lemon juice, minced garlic, shallots and flaxseed meal. Mix well.
- Form your desired shape of the crab cakes and coat them in corn starch. Deep fry or air fry until golden brown.
- Chop tomatoes in 8 wedges each. To a pan, add olive oil and saute your aromatics – onion and ginger. Add in your tomatoes.
- Add water, all seasonings and kelp. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove the kelp and add in your tofu puffs.
- In a separate pot, cook the bánh canh noodles or substitute rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In serving bowls, place a portion of noodles.Pour the hot tomato broth over the noodles.
- Top with crab cakes, fresh herbs. Garnish with lime wedges, sliced chili, and chili oil if desired. Enjoy!