Spanner Crab Tapioca Noodle Soup

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 4-5

Ingredients

Bánh Canh

250g rice flour

150g tapioca starch

1 tbsp cooking oil

½ tsp salt

400ml hot water

Spanner Crab

3 tbsp annatto oil

¾ bunch spring onions cut in 5 cm batons

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

2-3 Thai shallots, finely chopped

1 can (425g) whole straw mushrooms, halved

1 can (425g) quail eggs 

1 tsp anchovy salt 

1½ tbsp fish sauce

½ tsp sugar

2.5L pork bone broth

3 tbsp (50g) potato starch

6 tbsp water

500g spanner crab meat

Garnish

½ bunch spring onions, finely sliced

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch saw tooth coriander, finely sliced

4 tsp dried shallots

Cracked white pepper

Method

For the Bánh Canh (tapioca noodle), in a large mixing bowl add rice flour, tapioca starch, salt and cooking oil and mix with chopsticks. Add 50ml of hot water at a time and mix until well combined then knead together with a dash of oil on your hands until smooth. Allow dough to rest and set aside until broth is ready.

Duncan’s tip: Close to boiling water will achieve optimal results.

For spanner crab and serving, place a large stock/casserole pot on medium heat then add 3 tablespoons of annatto oil, spring onion batons, Thai shallots, garlic, chilli and sauté until lightly golden and fragrant. 

Add straw mushrooms, quail eggs, anchovy salt, fish sauce, and sugar and sauté for a few mins before adding pork bone broth. Bring to the boil then it’s time to add the bánh Canh noodles.

With a knife, split up bánh Canh dough into four equal parts. Pat hands with cooking oil and shape dough into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll one ball at a time out into a rectangle about 2 - 3 mm in thickness then slice into 3 - 4 mm wide noodles, being careful not to let them stick together, and place immediately into the pot one strand at a time and repeat for remaining dough. 

Duncan’s tip: The shape and length of the noodles will naturally appear rustic. The varied cooking time between noodle batches are not a concern. 

Once all noodles are in the pot, bring to the boil and reduce back to a simmer and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes. 

In a small bowl add potato starch and water and mix well to create a loose slurry. To thicken the soup to a gravy consistency, bring to the boil and add 3 tablespoons of potato starch slurry first and immediately stir in well for 1 minute. If desired thickness is not achieved add more potato starch slurry as required. 

Duncan’s tip: Potato starch slurry can settle, mix well before adding. If too much potato starch is added and soup is too thick, add water/chicken broth to loosen and re-season with fish sauce. 

Add raw spanner crab meat and simmer for 1 - 2 minutes or until crab meat is just cooked through.

Ladle bánh Canh cua into serving bowls and garnish with spring onions, coriander, saw tooth coriander and white pepper. Serve with chopsticks and a large soup spoon.