Not pho or bun bo, this is a Vietnamese dish praised for having 'a whole world of flavors'

This is definitely not your go-to chicken soup for sick days, but a bowl of noodles packed with so much flavor, ingredients, and texture that it will surprise any visitor how it all fits into one small bowl.

That is bun rieu. Bun rieu has a rich, spicy flavor, and on top is an impressive portion of blood with a dark purple color that contrasts with the surrounding area.

Bun rieu is a Vietnamese specialty, made from a broth of pork bones, tomatoes, and freshwater crabs found in the rice fields. The broth is served with thin rice noodles, grilled tomatoes, crab cakes, sometimes pig's feet and skin, tofu, shredded water spinach, chopped banana flowers, bean sprouts, perilla leaves, and a myriad of other herbs.

Diners can also add tamarind sauce, rice vinegar, lime, chili, and especially shrimp paste to taste. This dish can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and is extremely delicious, shared travel writer Ben Groundwater of the Sydney Morning Herald .

A famous vermicelli soup restaurant in District 1

There are several theories about the development of bun rieu, although most agree that it originated in the Red River Delta, and the popularity of this flavorful dish spread through migration routes.

Some believe that bun rieu has always been made with freshwater crabs from the vast rice fields in the lowlands. While others say that fishermen at sea often used substandard crabs to make the simple bun rieu dish, which later evolved into a more elaborate and complex dish.

Bun rieu styles vary across Vietnam: in the north it will be quite limited to just crab cakes, tomatoes and tofu, while the further south you go, the more pork, pig's feet, blood and even sea snails you can add to the bowl.

Bun rieu pot with many different ingredients

Ben Groundwater recommends Nguyen Canh Chan vermicelli soup restaurant in Cau Kho Ward, District 1; if you're in Sydney, try the Song Huong restaurant in Bankstown (299 Chapel); and in Melbourne, try Bun Cha Co Dao in Footscray (83 Nicholson).

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-phai-pho-hay-bun-bo-day-la-mon-viet-duoc-ca-ngoi-co-ca-the-gioi-huong-vi-185240331080601949.htm