🍽️main·Vietnam·Vietnamesemedium⏱ 1.5 hours👥 4

Bánh Đa Cua Hải Phòng

Name: Bánh Đa Cua Hải Phòng
Total time: 1.5 hours
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 400 g bánh đa đỏ (red rice noodles); 200 g fresh crab meat; 150 g pork shoulder; 3 medium tomatoes; 2 shallots; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm); 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1.5 L water or pork broth; 100 g bean sprouts; 1 small bunch Vietnamese mint (rau răm); lime wedges; rice crackers (bánh đa nướng)

About

A signature dish from Hai Phong, Vietnam, featuring thick, chewy rice noodles (bánh đa đỏ) in a rich, tomato-based broth with crab meat, pork, and fresh herbs. The soup has a slightly sweet and tangy flavor from tomatoes and crab, balanced by earthy notes from fermented shrimp paste. It's typically eaten for breakfast or lunch, often accompanied by crispy rice crackers.

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Cultural Context

This dish is a point of pride in Hai Phong, a major port city in northern Vietnam. The red color of the noodles comes from a traditional dye made from gac fruit or annatto. It's considered a working-class dish but is beloved across social strata, often eaten at street stalls.

Ingredients

400 gbánh đa đỏ (red rice noodles)(dried or fresh)

200 gfresh crab meat(blue swimmer crab preferred)

150 gpork shoulder(thinly sliced)

3 mediumtomatoes(ripe, chopped)

2 shallots(minced)

3 clovesgarlic(minced)

1 tbspfermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm)(optional but traditional)

2 tbspfish sauce

1 tspsugar

2 tbspvegetable oil

1.5 Lwater or pork broth

100 gbean sprouts(for garnish)

1 small bunchVietnamese mint (rau răm)(for garnish)

lime wedges(for serving)

rice crackers (bánh đa nướng)(for serving)

Method

1. Sauté aromatics, then add tomatoes to make a base. 2. Simmer with broth, crab, and pork. 3. Cook noodles separately. 4. Assemble bowls with noodles, broth, and garnishes. 5. Ser...

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