Vietnamese Crab Noodles Soup (Bun rieu)

In Vietnam, crab noodle soup, Bun rieu, uses a dark brown crab found in the rice fields, which are pulled out of the mud with a stick. My sister and I had a wonderful time as kids helping my mom to catch these crabs for our dinner. All parts of the paddy field crabs are used, including the residue, skimmed from the top of the soup during the slow cooking process, which becomes a thick, savory crab cake that is added to the soup. However, while the living in America, paddy field crabs will no longer be considered as a necessary ingredient to prepare this wonderful, delicious soup. My recipe's version of Bun rieu can be easily prepared with blue crabs or another kind of crabs available at supermarkets. The soup will have a slightly different taste, but it is very delicious either way.

Ingredients:
Broth:
10 cups chicken broth
1 lb. fresh crab meat
1/2 lb. shrimp, deveined and shelled
1/2 lb. ground chicken or pork
1/4 cup dried shrimp
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp shrimp paste (optional)
5 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
4 large tomatoes, quartered
One 6 oz. can crab paste (optional)
2 tsp chili powder
3 tbs oil

Served with:
2 lbs rice noodles (cooked as the package directs)
1 lb. of firm tofu, cut into small squares
4 scallions, separated and cut the white section into 2 inch lengths, the green part sliced
2 lemons, cut into wedges
4 fresh chili peppers, thinly sliced
Sliced white onions, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions
Vietnamese vegetables plate (dia rau song)

Directions:
Heat frying pan with oil. Fry bean curd squares until golden brown. Set aside.
Soak the dried shrimp in 1 cup of warm water for 1 hour . Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.
In a food processor, process the dried shrimp and fresh shrimp until very fine.
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, ground meat, crab meat, crab paste (if using), half the shallots, half the garlic, shrimp paste, black peppers, sugar, fish sauce, salt and beaten eggs until well mixed. Refrigerate for a few hours.
In a large soup pot, heat oil and sauté the remaining shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add chili powder, half of the tomatoes, and a sprinkled 1/2 tsp of sugar (this secret addition helps the tomato retained its color). Fry for one or 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and reserved soaking liquid from the dried shrimp. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Slice the crab meat mixture gently into the simmering broth. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the crab meat form its shape for 1 hour or until the mixture slightly firms and floats on the surface. Bring the soup to a gentle boil again. Season with salt and fish sauce, if needed. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the remaining tomatoes and fried tofu. Cook for another 15 minutes.

To serve:
Place the rice noodles in the bottom of a serving bowl. Distribute the fried tofu, a few tomatoes, crab meat, white onions, green onions and cilantro. Ladle the crab soup onto the noodles and serve with Vietnamese vegetables plate.