Bun Rieu - Pork, crab and noodle soup

Ingredients
- 6 litres Chicken stock
- 150g pork mince
- 200g tin crab mince
- 400g tin crab meat in spices
- 200g fresh crab meat
- 200g dried shrimps, blended
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 12 eggs
- 6 Tomatoes, chopped into large chunks
- 8 Spring onions
- 1 packet of lightly fried fresh bean curd (tofu)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- Oil
- 180g Tamarind – soaked overnight in water or cooked for 10 min in water
- 1 Lemon
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 450g pack Vermicelli noodles
- 1 Lettuce
Method
- Place pork mince into large bowl
- Add crab meat, dried shrimps, 12 eggs and fish sauce
- Mix well
- In a very large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to the boil
- One spoonful at a time, scoop the pork and crab mixture into the stock
- When the meat rises to the surface of the stock, add the tomatoes and sliced bean curd
- In a separate small saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir for a couple of minutes
- Pour over the top of soup to add colour
- Place pre-soaked tamarind paste into a strainer over soup
- Pour a couple of spoonfuls of hot broth through sieve to help release flavour from the pulp
- Add chopped spring onions, lemon and sugar
To serve:
Soften the Vermicelli noodles in hot water and place a handful into individual soup bowls. Pour the soup over the noodles. Top with thinly sliced lettuce.