Bún Riêu

Rinse the water spinach, banana blossom, and bean sprouts; cut the water spinach into 5 cm pieces and thinly shred the banana blossom. Finely chop the cilantro and green onion, halve the limes, and slice the fresh chili into thin rings.

Mix the ground river crab with 500 ml water and half of the salt, rub well by hand, then strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, keeping the liquid and crab meat separate.

Pour the crab liquid into a pot, add another 1300 ml water, and bring to just below a boil over medium heat, stirring gently and constantly. When the crab riêu curdles into flakes and rises to the surface, stop stirring, lower the heat, and skim off the riêu with a slotted spoon.

Combine the skimmed crab riêu with the ground pork, eggs, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, and the remaining salt. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl, set it on a rack over boiling water, and steam for 15 minutes until set; then cut it into pieces.

Cube the tofu and fry until golden brown in vegetable oil. In another pan, heat oil with annatto seeds, add the chopped tomatoes, and simmer for 5–7 minutes until softened. Transfer the tomatoes and tofu into the crab broth.

Dissolve the shrimp paste in 150 ml of hot broth, bring to a boil separately for 10 minutes, let the sediment settle, and pour only the clear top liquid into the main pot. Add the tamarind paste, stir, and simmer the broth for another 5 minutes.

Bring the remaining water to a boil, quickly blanch the rice noodles and water spinach separately, then drain in a sieve. Do not overcook the noodles so they keep their bite.

Divide the rice noodles among four bowls, add pieces of the crab-and-pork riêu, tofu, water spinach, banana blossom, and bean sprouts. Ladle over the hot broth, sprinkle with cilantro and green onion, and serve with lime and fresh chili.