This slurp-worthy bowl of Banh Canh Cua has an explosive fresh crab flavor and slippery tapioca noodles for every noodle soup lover! With a sticky, thick seafood broth topped with aromatic herbs, it’s a gem everyone needs to try.
For a light chicken version, try our weekend favorite – Bánh Canh Gà!
The best slurp you’ll ever have
If there’s one noodle soup I order from Vietnamese restaurants without fail, it’s a hearty bowl of Banh Canh Cua. When you combine a thick sticky broth with chewy soft noodles, that lip smacking slurp is EVERYTHING.
But there’s one key element that sets our homemade recipe apart from all the ones found in commercial kitchens – we top it with ALL the classic favorites.
This is a loaded bowl of goodness you’re getting yourself into!
Not only do you get to enjoy juicy crab meat hot out of the shell, its delicate sweetness infuses into the broth for an incredible seafood flavor that nothing can replace.
Pair that with an aromatic kick from golden fried prawn puffs, crispy onions and fresh Vietnamese herbs to make it the meal of your dreams.
Do you see the gloriously glossy noodles wrapped around my chopsticks? You can be sure that every drop of soup flavor is absorbing into them, making each strand taste like pure magic.
Why this recipe works
- Chargrilling dried squid adds a deep umami flavor, making the stock beautifully complex.
- Using whole crab naturally sweetens the broth without the need for extra sugar.
- Fried and seasoned prawn paste is added to the pot to infuse aromatics into the soup.
What you’ll need
Broth ingredients
About the seafood
You can find frozen crab meat in seafood markets in the freezers. They’re generally a better quality than the ones sold in supermarkets.
As for the dehydrated squid and scallops, they’re sold in bags in Asian grocery stores.
The toppings
About the meat
We use pork hoc for our recipe, but you can use any cut you prefer. This recipe also uses mud crab, although getting just the claw might be easier because it involves less prep.
For the prawn balls
About the prawns
You may find many types of fresh prawns at your local seafood market. Keep in mind that some are saltier than others, so season accordingly.
Otherwise our Banh Canh Cua recipe can be serve with Chao Tom (Sugar Cane Shrimp).
The noodles
About the tapioca noodles
We buy the cooked banh canh from Asian supermarkets. They’re delivered fresh daily and can be found in the cooked noodles section.
The garnish
About the herbs
Coriander and spring onion can be purchased in bundles from Asian grocery stores and washed then chopped finely before serving.
How to make this recipe
The Broth
Add the pork hoc to the stock and cook it on a low-medium heat.
Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then grill the dried squid and put them into the broth.
Cut up the jicama and daikon into large chunks.
Turn up the heat to high and add the jicama, daikon and dehydrated scallops into the soup.
After 40 minutes of cooking or when when soft, take the hoc pieces out and set aside.
Note: If you’re using boneless pork, they can be sliced thinly to be used as a topping.
Pour 1 tbsp oil into a small pan and turn the heat to low. Add the annatto seeds in and cook for 1 minute or until its color begins to change.
Note: You’re looking for the oil to turn red, which will color the Banh Canh Cua broth.
Use a sieve to strain the annatto-infused oil into the broth, then season with salt, rock sugar, fish sauce and chicken bouillon powder.
The Prawn Balls and Crab
Heat up a small pan on medium heat and brown the garlic, red shallots and spring onions with 1 tbsp oil. Set it aside to cool.
Combine the fried aromatics with salt, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, pepper, fish sauce and the prawns in a food processor, then process the ingredients into a paste.
Heat up the oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Shape the paste into balls 2cm (0.8″) wide using spoons or hands and fry them for 5 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked.
Bring the pot to a gentle boil and add the prawn balls into the broth.
Add the frozen crab meat in.
Cut up the crab and place them in the soup to cook for 15 minutes or until the flesh is cooked, then remove and set aside until eating time.
To thicken the soup, mix the starch slurry in a bowl until it forms a runny liquid. Slowly pour it into the broth on a low heat while stirring the pot consistently.
The Noodles and Garnish
Bring another pot of water to a boil and add the banh canh in. These noodles are already cooked, so they will only need 3-5 minutes before they can be strained and set to drip dry.
To assemble the dish, line the bottom of your bowl with tapioca noodles then top it with the pork hoc, fried prawn balls, crab and blood jelly. Pour hot soup over the ingredients and garnish with herbs and a squeeze of lime juice!
FAQs
We used mud crab for this recipe, but any crab will work. Generally, males have more meat while females have more orange roe so it really depends on your preference. Most of the time we just get one of each.
Tapioca noodles do tend to form clumps when left out of water to drip dry. To minimise this, you can drizzle some vegetable oil to keep the strands from sticking to each other.
If potato starch isn’t available, corn starch is another alternative that can be found in most Asian supermarkets.
Tips for the best results
- Use fresh crab. Not only will this naturally sweeten the broth, you’ll also get a rich crab flavor that can’t be achieved using frozen ones.
- Slap the prawn paste against a hard surface. For a springier bite, take the prawn paste in your hand and throw it against the inside of the bowl or a chopping board a few times to give it a springy texture when cooked.
- Chargrill the vegetables. Keep the skin on and lightly char them until they blacken, then peel off the skin before adding to the broth. This technique gives the soup an added dimension.
Fall in love with more noodle soups!
- Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho) – Earthy, beefy and super comforting, you won’t want to miss out this aromatic stew.
- Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà) – One of my favorite noodle soups with fall-off-the-bone chicken and a light coconut cream flavor in curry.
- Vietnamese Pork and Prawn Clear Noodle Soup (Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang) – A classic that all the locals love for its amazing topping variety and simple taste.
- Bun Mam (Vietnamese Fermented Fish Noodle Soup) – If you want a true local experience, this seafood gumbo is a must try.
- Bún Bò Huế Chay (Vegetarian Spicy Noodle Soup) – Mum’s vegetarian take on the popular Bún Bò Huế is something you won’t find in any restaurant!
- Bún Riêu Chay (Vegetarian Tomato Noodle Soup) – A soothing tangy broth is what you’ll get with this vegetarian recipe.
- Wonton Egg Noodle Soup – A fusion of Chinese and Vietnamese tradition, our take on this Cantonese dish marries the best of both worlds!
Want more home cooked recipes?
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Banh Canh Cua (Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup)
Equipment
- Sieve
Ingredients
The Broth
- 10 L / 41 US cups chicken and pork stock
- 800 g / 1.8 lb daikon (peeled)
- 400 g / 0.9 lb jicama (peeled)
- 30 g / 0.07 lb dried squid (found in Asian supermarkets)
- 70 g / 0.15 lb dehydrated scallops (found in Asian supermarkets)
- 500 g / 1.1 lb frozen crab meat (we buy it from our local seafood shop)
- 2 tbsp annatto seeds (found in Asian supermarkets)
- 1 tbsp oil (for the annatto seeds)
- 70 g rock sugar (or to taste)
- 6 tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 US cup fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 US cup potato starch (for the starch slurry)
- 1/4 US cup water (for the starch slurry)
The Toppings
- 1 pork hoc (ask the butcher to cut it into smaller pieces)
- 1 crab (or more)
- 1 box blood jelly (optional)
The Prawn Balls
- 20 fresh prawns (peeled and deveined)
- 1 red shallot (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 sprig spring onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp oil (for frying aromatics)
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- cooking oil (for frying)
The Noodles and Garnish
- 2 kg / 4.4 lb Banh Canh tapioca noodles (found in Asian grocery stores)
- coriander (finely chopped)
- spring onion (finely chopped)
- fried onions
- pepper
- lime juice
Instructions
The Broth
- Add the pork hoc to the stock and cook it on a low-medium heat.
- Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, then grill the dried squid and put them into the broth.
- Cut up the jicama and daikon into large chunks.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the jicama, daikon and dehydrated scallops into the soup.
- After 40 minutes of cooking or when soft, take the hoc pieces out and set aside.Note: If you're using boneless pork, they can be sliced thinly to be used as a topping.
- Pour 1 tbsp oil into a small pan and turn the heat to low. Add the annatto seeds in and cook for 1 minute or until its color begins to change. Note: You're looking for the oil to turn red, which will color the Banh Canh Cua broth.
- Use a sieve to strain the annatto-infused oil into the broth, then season with salt, rock sugar, fish sauce and chicken bouillon powder.
The Prawn Balls and Crab
- Heat up a small pan on medium heat and brown the garlic, red shallots and spring onions with 1 tbsp oil. Set it aside to cool.
- Combine the fried aromatics with salt, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, pepper, fish sauce and the prawns in a food processor, then process the ingredients into a paste.
- Heat up the oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Shape the paste into balls 2cm (0.8") wide using spoons or hands and fry them for 5 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked.
- Bring the pot to a gentle boil and add the prawn balls into the broth.
- Add the frozen crab meat in.
- Cut up the crab and place them in the soup to cook for 15 minutes or until the flesh is cooked, then remove and set aside until eating time.
- To thicken the soup, mix the starch slurry in a bowl until it forms a runny liquid. Slowly pour it into the broth on a low heat while stirring the pot consistently.
The Noodles and Garnish
- Bring another pot of water to a boil and add the banh canh in. These noodles are already cooked, so they will only need 3-5 minutes before they can be strained and set to drip dry.
- To assemble the dish, line the bottom of your bowl with tapioca noodles then top it with the pork hoc, fried prawn balls, crab and blood jelly. Pour hot soup over the ingredients and garnish with herbs and a squeeze of lime juice!
Notes
- Use fresh crab. Not only will this naturally sweeten the broth, you’ll also get a rich crab flavor that can’t be achieved using frozen ones.
- Slap the prawn paste against a hard surface. For a springier bite, take the prawn paste in your hand and throw it against the inside of the bowl or a chopping board a few times to give it a springy texture when cooked.
- Chargrill the vegetables. Keep the skin on and lightly char them until they blacken, then peel off the skin before adding to the broth. This technique gives the soup an added dimension.
- We use pork hoc, but you can use any cut you prefer. This recipe also uses mud crab, although getting just the claw might be easier because it involves less prep.
- You may find many types of fresh prawns at your local seafood market. Keep in mind that some are saltier than others, so season accordingly. Otherwise our Banh Canh Cua recipe can be serve with Chao Tom (Sugar Cane Shrimp).
- Tapioca noodles, dehydrated squid and scallops, coriander and spring onion can be purchased from Asian grocery stores.
- You can find frozen crab meat in seafood markets in the freezers. They're generally a better quality than the ones sold in supermarkets.
So many amazing flavors in this dish!! Thank you!
Thanks, Mindy!
Wow — I love learning about new recipes and thanks to your beautiful pictures and amazing information, I need to give this a shot. My husband loves seafood so this would be perfect for him!
I hope you and your husband enjoy this recipe as much as we do! 😀
Love how hearty and flavorful this looks..saving this recipe
Thanks, Priya!
This soup is bringing back my memories from Vietnam. It is so full of flavors and variety. The notes are also very helpful, I would never have thought to slap the prawn paste and I will be trying the chargrill vegetable technique with other recipes as well, as it adds so much more flavor than just frying them.
Yes, those techniques are a great way to add extra depth to your meals! 😀
With step by step details, it is really easy to replicate the recipe. You made it so clear instructions. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Bhawana!
I love fish sauce and am always looking for new recipes to use it in, this is a delicious recipe that has so much flavor!
You’ll be using lots of fish sauce in this recipe ;D