Vietnamese Crab Soup (Súp cua)
Overview
Súp cua is a thick, glossy crab soup that is sold at street stalls across Vietnam, especially in the evening. A clear chicken broth is thickened with tapioca starch until it coats a spoon, then picked crab meat, shredded chicken and chopped mushrooms are stirred in. Beaten egg is drizzled into the hot soup in a thin stream so it sets in soft ribbons, and some cooks add quail eggs, corn or crab roe. It is finished with a lot of black pepper, coriander and spring onion. The soup is light, savoury and warming, and it is eaten as a snack, a starter or a gentle meal for children.
History
Thick soups called súp, from the French word soupe, came into Vietnamese cooking during French rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and cooks soon adapted them to local tastes. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, súp cua became a popular street food sold from carts, served in small bowls with a bottle of pepper on the side. It is also a common starter at Vietnamese weddings.
Main ingredients
Crab meat, egg, chicken broth, tapioca starch, mushrooms, coriander. The soup is built on chicken and crab broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chicken soups · Fish and seafood soups · Egg soups · More soups from Vietnam
Recipe
Method
- 1
Bring the broth to the boil and add the chicken and mushrooms.
- 2
Stir in the tapioca mixture and cook until the soup thickens.
- 3
Add the crab meat and season with fish sauce and salt.
- 4
Drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring gently so it forms ribbons.
- 5
Serve with black pepper, coriander and spring onion.
- ✓
Serve. About 40 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
