Bun Rieu Cua: Hanoi's Crab and Tomato Noodle Soup

A bowl of bún riêu cua is easy to spot: red tomato, golden crab and a scattering of green herbs on white noodles. The broth is sour and lightly sweet, and the soft clumps floating on top are made from crab. This guide to bun rieu in Hanoi explains how the dish is made, how it came into the city and how to season it at the table.

What bun rieu cua is

Riêu is the name for the soft clumps of crab, and cua means crab. The crab in question is the small paddy crab (cua đồng) that lives in rice fields.

• Making the riêu. The crabs are pounded finely, then mixed with water and strained. As this liquid heats in the pot, the crab meat rises to the surface and sets into soft, brown layers, which the cook lifts gently into each bowl. VnExpress notes that crabs pounded by hand give more of this soft crab than crab bought ready-ground.
• The roe. Some shops cook the crab roe and fat separately with fried shallots and a little fat, and spoon it on top for colour and richness. A few add gấc, a red fruit, for a brighter colour.
• The sourness. Tomato wedges, dried sour fruit (tai chua) and fermented rice vinegar (giấm bỗng) give the broth its tang. The Hanoi Department of Tourism describes giấm bỗng as essential, because it softens the smell of the crab and keeps the broth tasting fresh.
• The noodles. Soft round rice noodles (bún rối).

Herbs come on the side: lettuce shredded very finely, Láng basil, coriander, kinh giới and split water spinach.

How it began

Bún riêu was not born in Hanoi, according to the city’s tourism department, but it has been a favourite there for a long time. When the land around Hanoi was still mostly rice fields, paddy crabs were plentiful, and the dish followed them into town.

In its early form a bowl held only noodles and crab soup with tomato. VnExpress recalls that in the 1980s it was sold from shoulder poles, with a pot of hot broth, a basket of noodles and a few low stools. Over time shops added fried tofu, sliced beef, pork ear roll (giò tai) and pork trotters, which makes many modern bowls richer than the original.

The writer Vũ Bằng, in his book on Hanoi food, described finishing the bowl with a touch of shrimp paste and eating it with young lettuce shredded as fine as green thread.

Hanoians often turn to bún riêu after Tết, the Lunar New Year, when they want something light after days of rich food.

How to eat bun rieu in Hanoi

• Taste the broth first. It should already be sour and sweet from the crab and tomato.
• Adjust at the table. Add a little shrimp paste (mắm tôm) and chilli sauce, and more fermented rice vinegar if you like it sharper.
• Add the herbs. Drop the shredded lettuce and herbs into the hot broth as you eat.
• Soup or dip. Most people eat it as a soup, but the tourism department notes that some prefer to dip the noodles in the broth instead.

Although it is served hot, bún riêu tastes light and cooling.

Where to try it

Bún riêu is sold from pavement stalls and small shops across Hanoi. The tourism department’s food pages mention Old Quarter streets such as Bát Đàn, Hàng Bún, Lãn Ông, Hàng Lược and Hàng Khoai.

Local tip Hanoi also has canh bún, a related crab noodle dish with water spinach. The main difference is that canh bún is made without fermented rice vinegar.

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Good to know before you order

• Shellfish. The broth is made from crab, and the shrimp paste is made from shrimp. If you have a shellfish allergy, avoid this dish.
• Extras. Toppings such as beef, pork ear roll and pork trotters are common. Ask for a plain bowl with only crab and tofu if you prefer.
• Raw herbs. The herbs and lettuce are served raw.