My experience with cooking is more westernized and usually involve tackling more simple dishes. So in an attempt to make my mommy proud or to prove all the nay-sayer out there that I can cook….or at least try hard to. I stepped up to the plate this time and made “bun rieu” (aka..tomato, shrimp and crab meat soup) from scratch.

A couple of friends invited us over for dinner the other night to try out their homemade bun rieu and I was hooked. It reminded me when my mom use to make it. Their soup base was with pork meat. Craving the taste and also the challenge, I scoured the internet to find a recipe to make some. Of course the extra challenge was to find a recipe that was simple with easy to find ingredients and also something that can be made on the fly. We all know how busy life gets so something that is quick and easy is always a good thing. Happy to report that I found it and the prep time along with the cooking time is roughly 45mins to 1hr depending on how efficient you are in the kitchen (lol). The time cruncher is really all the simmering time to allow the flavors to infuse the soup. I made the soup the night before as I didn’t know how long it would take me. The good news is that it allowed a longer time for the flavors to meld together…and the other great news is all the more quicker dinner was served tonight. The biggest time saver is the fact that this recipe uses a chicken broth soup base. I think if you use pork meat and bones you’ll have to add some time to boil and prepare the pork. But that’s for attempt #2 when I always modify the recipe to shake things up a bit (lol).

Here’s what it looks like simmering in the pot.

Here’s the finished product with beans sprouts and basil.

Verdict: It was YUMMY, the sort of yumminess that causes you to drink all the soup and lick the bowl clean type of Goodness. Well at least I thought so. My two taste testers both went for seconds so it must be a good sign!! Now I can’t wait to modifiy the recipe with Pork bones next time for an even more authentic taste.

If your interested in trying out the recipe, you can find it here. If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes. I did a slight modification by putting in a whole can of tomato paste instead of the 1 TBSP they recommended, just because I didn’t want any left over tomato paste (lol). Oh and for all those out there that have little experience with Shrimp Paste….a little goes a long way and its one of the things that makes bun rieu authentic in my opinion. But it has a very strong flavor and smell so you might even want to substitute it out or add into the bowls later for those that can handle it.

Happy Cooking everyone!!