Mai

When I think about different types of canh- soups that are part of a traditional Vietnamese family meal, this is actually the first one that comes to mind. Made from just 2 or 3 ingredients, plus seasonings of course, this dish is either one of the hardest or easiest canh, depending on the type of crab you use.

If you’re making this from scratch the traditional way with whole field crabs, it is quite time consuming. It involves removing the shell and gills, blending up the crabs, mixing this with water to emulsify the meat, carefully straining the mixture to discard the shell fragments to keep only the crab meat liquid, then using that to make the broth. To see this whole process, check out our Bún riêu cua video.

Nowadays, you can find frozen pre-blended or pre-strained field crab in grocery stores in Vietnam. With the pre-blended version, you still have to do the mixing with water and straining, whereas with the pre-strained version, you’re ready to cook. I brought back some packets of both versions on my last trip back home. Sadly I have searched for these in every Asian grocery store in my area in Paris and came up empty. That being said, I did find it in the US while we were living there, so try your luck at your local stores. If you’re willing to do the full process from scratch, I have done it with invasive European green crabs, or you can try swimming crabs- but they will have a more oceany taste than field crabs. If you cannot find crab, this soup can also be made with minced fresh shrimp.

The type of green in this soup is called mồng tơi or mùng tơi in Vietnamese, and Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach or Indian spinach in English. Despite its English names, this plant is not in the same family as the spinach that you know. It has a very distinct but gentle smell and sweet flavor. The texture is slightly slimy like okra, which thickens up the broth. It’s a rich source of vitamins A, C, and B9 along with several minerals.

If you can find sponge gourd, i.e. Egyptian cucumber or Vietnamese luffa, it is also a great addition with cooling properties.

INGREDIENTS FOR CANH CUA MỒNG TƠI

• Field crab – Cua đồng: These are crabs found in Vietnamese rice paddy fields, since the rice is grown in water. They have a beautiful umami flavor, but much lighter and not oceany like sea crabs. These crabs are the star of Bún riêu cua, one of my favorite Vietnamese noodle dishes. To see how whole crabs are used from scratch, check out check out our Bún riêu cua video!
• Malabar/Ceylon/Indian spinach – Mồng tơi/Mùng tơi: Despite its English names, this plant is not in the same family as the spinach that you know. It has a very distinct but gentle smell and sweet flavor. The texture is slightly slimy like okra, which thickens up the broth. It’s a rich source of vitamins A, C, and B9 along with several minerals.
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Salt – Muối

DIRECTIONS FOR CANH CUA MỒNG TƠI

1. Rinse the malabar spinach, then pick the leaves and break tender parts of the stems into bite size pieces. Any stem part that you cannot easily snap with your fingers will be too tough to eat- discard.
   Optional: Slice the leaves into 2-3 cm ribbons. Leaving the leaves whole will make your canh look nicer, but slicing up the leaves will make them easier to eat.
2. If using whole field crabs: clean, remove the upper shell and gills, break the crabs in half, then add to a blender. Add a small amount of water and blend well.
   (If using pre-blended but not strained field crabs, start here:) Pour blended crab paste into a bowl and add in half of the water. Mix well to emulsify the crab meat into the water and separate it from the shell fragments. Let the mixture sit for 30 seconds so the shells sink to the bottom. Gently tilt the bowl to pour the liquid into another bowl, careful to not pour in any shell fragments. Add the rest of the water to the first bowl with the shells and mix well to extract any remaining meat. Let sit for 30 seconds, then pour the liquid into the second bowl- again, being careful not to pour in any shells. This is now the base for your broth- pour it into a large pot.
   If using pre-blended and pre-strained field crabs: Pour fresh water into a large pot, add in the packet of field crab, and stir well to fully combine the crab and water.
3. Add salt into pot and stir.
4. Heat on medium high, stirring continuously to prevent any crab meat from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
5. As soon as you see bits of crab meat starting to cook and float to the surface, stop stirring and reduce heat to just below medium. You should see the crab meat continue to rise to the surface. Use a spatula to gently push the floating crab meat chunks together if needed.
6. Once most of the crab meat has floated to the surface and the broth becomes pretty clear, use a flat spatula to gently lift the crab meat chunk out of the pot and onto a plate. You will likely not be able to get it all in one piece, but try to avoid breaking it up as much as you can.
   Optional: For a clearer broth, remove the smallest floating bits of crab meat using a small fine mesh strainer.
7. Hold the plate at an angle over the pot and use the spatula to gently press extra broth out of the crab meat. This will help the crab meat chunk stick together more firmly.
8. Increase heat to medium high to bring the broth back to a gentle boil and add in the spinach.
9. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the leaves turn a deep green (about 5-7 minutes).
10. Season with bouillon and fish sauce to taste.
11. Ladle the soup into a bowl and gently place the crab meat on top.

Canh cua mồng tơi • Vietnamese field crab & malabar spinach soup

Recipe by MM Bon Appétit Course: SoupsCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

0

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 500 g 500 malabar spinach

• 150 g 150 blended & strained field crab (see Notes)

• 1.5 liter 1.5 water

• 1 tsp 1 salt

• 1 tsp 1 bouillon

• Fish sauce (to taste)

Directions

• Rinse the malabar spinach, then pick the leaves and break tender parts of the stems into bite size pieces. Any stem part that you cannot easily snap with your fingers will be too tough to eat- discard.
  Optional: Slice the leaves into 2-3 cm ribbons. Leaving the leaves whole will make your canh look nicer, but slicing up the leaves will make them easier to eat.
• If using whole field crabs: clean, remove the upper shell and gills, break the crabs in half, then add to a blender. Add a small amount of water and blend well.
  (If using pre-blended but not strained field crabs, start here:) Pour blended crab paste into a bowl and add in half of the water. Mix well to emulsify the crab meat into the water and separate it from the shell fragments. Let the mixture sit for 30 seconds so the shells sink to the bottom. Gently tilt the bowl to pour the liquid into another bowl, careful to not pour in any shell fragments. Add the rest of the water to the first bowl with the shells and mix well to extract any remaining meat. Let sit for 30 seconds, then pour the liquid into the second bowl- again, being careful not to pour in any shells.
  This is now the base for your broth- pour it into a large pot.
  If using pre-blended and pre-strained field crabs: Pour fresh water into a large pot, add in the packet of field crab, and stir well to fully combine the crab and water.
• Add salt into pot and stir.
• Heat on medium high, stirring continuously to prevent any crab meat from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• As soon as you see bits of crab meat starting to cook and float to the surface, stop stirring and reduce heat to just below medium. You should see the crab meat continue to rise to the surface. Use a spatula to gently push the floating crab meat chunks together if needed.
• Once most of the crab meat has floated to the surface and the broth becomes pretty clear, use a flat spatula to gently lift the crab meat chunk out of the pot and onto a plate. You will likely not be able to get it all in one piece, but try to avoid breaking it up as much as you can.
  Optional: For a clearer broth, remove the smallest floating bits of crab meat using a small fine mesh strainer.
• Hold the plate at an angle over the pot and use the spatula to gently press extra broth out of the crab meat. This will help the crab meat chunk stick together more firmly.
• Increase heat to medium high to bring the broth back to a gentle boil and add in the spinach.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook until the leaves turn a deep green (about 5-7 minutes).
• Season with bouillon and fish sauce to taste.
• Ladle the soup into a bowl and gently place the crab meat on top.

Notes

• Field crab: If you’re making this from scratch the traditional way with whole field crabs, it is quite time consuming. It involves removing the shell and gills, blending up the crabs, mixing this with water to emulsify the meat, carefully straining the mixture to discard the shell fragments to keep only the crab meat liquid, then using that to make the broth. To see this whole process, check out our Bún riêu cua video. If you’re using whole crabs, you will probably need at least 300g instead of 150g for 4 servings, since the top shells and gills account for quite some weight.
  Nowadays, you can find frozen pre-blended or pre-strained field crab in grocery stores in Vietnam. With the pre-blended version, you still have to do the mixing with water and straining, whereas with the pre-strained version, you’re ready to cook. I brought back some packets of both versions on my last trip back home. Sadly I have searched for these in Asian grocery stores in Paris and came up empty. That being said, I did find it in the US while we were living there, so try your luck at your local stores. If you’re willing to do the full process from scratch, I have done it with invasive European green crabs, or you can try swimming crabs- but they will have a more oceany taste than field crabs. If you cannot find crab, this soup can also be made with minced fresh shrimp.

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