Bun Rieu Recipe in the Instant Pot (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)

Bun Rieu is a bowl of delicious crab meat and pork mixture in a pork bone broth. It is topped with tomatoes, deep-fried tofu and red cabbage. It has a killer deep broth flavor like no other broth that comes from Vietnam. What’s great is this recipe can be easily made in the Instant Pot in half the time and it tastes better than my mother-in-law’s! Let’s check out this recipe!

Bun rieu is a noodle soup I never heard of until I was introduced to this dish by my mother-in-law when I first started dating my then-boyfriend. It’s not popular like beef pho, or chicken pho but this bowl of noodle soup tastes so different and unique. Its rare to find this noodle soup in restaurants, however I have seen and ordered this in restaurants but it hard to find one that taste like it was made with love. 

To find the best bun rieu Vietnamese crab noodle soup you would need to go to a friend’s house and find that mom that can cook up a killer bun rieu! If you can’t you can definitely make it in the own comfort of your home with an Instant Pot

It has a bold crab taste mixed with the acidity of the tomatoes. The broth is made from pork rib bones and adds a layer of deep flavor. The noodles are silky and so easy to slurp down with the savory soup.

Why we love this Recipe

• Saves time: The broth can be made in half the time in the Instant Pot and only requires an extra 30-40 minutes of time. While the Instant Pot is natural releasing the prep work for the crab meat and tomatoes can be completed during that time.

• Unique in flavor: The crab paste and crab meat in spices adds a powerful seafood flavor to the soup. 

Better than Mom’s Recipe

Making this in the Instant Pot helps saves a lot of time. With busy lives and less time to focus on making homemade food this is a recipe that helps save time and make its just as rich and savory as mom’s recipe.

I use the same recipe and modified it so that it can be made in less time but still have the same mom’s special bowl of bun rieu. Made with lots of love but less time.

What’s Bun Rieu

Bun rieu is a Vietnamese soup made from bone broth. There are many variations which include bun rieu cua, cun rieu ca and bun rieu oc. This recipe is the bun rieu cua (made with minced crab).

The crab and pork mixture is made with crab meat, ground pork and eggs. The combination of the seasoning and crab paste makes the pattie is savory and full flavor. 

Tomatoes and deep-fried tofu puffs add acidity and texture to the noodle soup. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pork rib broth: The bone broth is the heart of any Vietnamese noodle soup. This recipe is no exception. Using the Instant Pot to make a quick broth will help develop a deeper broth flavor. It also helps to cook the pork ribs so they are tender. Adding onion, ginger and salt will add more flavor to the broth. It only requires 30 minutes of cook time with 30 minutes of natural release. 

If time is tight using store-bought broth will also work. I suggest adding the onion, ginger and cooking it for 10-15 minutes. Some store-bought broth already has salt, but if it’s salt-free broth add ½-1 teaspoon. Once you add the crab meat mixture it will also add saltiness. I would suggest waiting until the end to adjust for salt. Use judgment when adding salt

Crab paste: Crab paste is this deep red colored paste found in small jars. I have personally only found them in Asian supermarkets in the canned aisle. Particularly in the Vietnamese section where man of the canned jarred foods are. In larger Asian supermarkets you will find crab paste and crab paste variations. I like to use crab paste with soya bean oil. Either option will work for this recipe.

Minced crab in spices: Similar to the crab paste this can be found in the same aisle usually. The minced crab in spices comes in canned or jar. I buy the 400g/14oz. The canned minced crab has onion, garlic, crab meat, peanut, soybean oil, lemon grass and chili.

If minced crab in spices is not available. Use real crab meat fresh or frozen. Add 1 cup to the pork mixture and add 2 tablespoon of the crab paste for flavor. 

Ground pork: I like to use lean ground pork to add a bit of fat. The fat adds more flavor, but using extra lean ground pork will work as well. When mixing the crab and pork mixture make sure to incorporate the ground pork well so the texture of the patty is 

Eggs and green onion: The egg binds the crab and ground pork together and create a light and fluffy patty. Essential to use eggs. I sometimes even add an extra egg. The green onion adds flavor and texture to the crab and pork patty. You can leave it out if you don’t like green onions

Shallots: Browning the shallots in oil before frying the tomatoes adds flavor. 

Tomatoes: Tomatoes add acidity to the soup. Frying them on the pan with the shallots will help keep the shape a little bit. I usually add the tomatoes 2-3 minutes before the soup is done so it holds it shape well when serving.

Deep-fried tofu: Puffy goodness. Find these in the fridge section in the Asian supermarket. It will be near the tofu section. These deep-fried tofu puffs need to be used as quickly as possible. They tend to go bad pretty quickly even when they are refrigerated. I will always use up the whole bag and let the soup absorb into the deep-fried tofu. There are variations of deep-fried tofu. Any of them can be used for this recipe. I will even add fish tofu into the broth for my kids. They love it. Look for it in the frozen section near the seafood section.

Salt, fish sauce, sugar & black pepper: All seasoning to flavor the crab and pork mixture. 

Vermicelli noodles: I like to use thin rice vermicelli noodles for this noodle soup. Slurping it down with the crab soup taste so great and thin noodles seem to just go down so silky and smooth. Use any rice vermicelli noodles you can find at your grocery store.

The ultra thin rice vermecialli noodles are usually served during summer time. Perfect for the hot weather.

Bean sprout, lime wedge, cilantro: The holy grail of toppings for any Vietnamese noodle soup toppings. Use as much or less as you wish.

Red cabbage: If you have some extra red cabbage on hand slice it thinly and top. This is optional but I like the crunch and the color for this noodle soup. Reb cabbage is usually more commonly used in the vegetarian version of this noodle soup.

Vietnamese balm, perilla leaves, sliced banana flower: These are traditional herbs that are usually found in Asian supermarkets. These more atypical herbs are an acquired taste so if you are not adventurous to try them or hard-pressed to find any of these more unique herbs feel free to leave out. 

How to Make Bun Rieu in the Instant Pot

Using the Instant Pot to make the pork rib broth will reduce the time by half. While it is cooking the prep work for the other ingredients can be completed to save time.

Take the pork ribs and parboil in a pot of water for 5-10 minutes. What you are looking for is all the scum at the top. Parboiling will make a clear broth.

In the Instant Pot inner pot add water, cleaned pork ribs, ginger, onion and salt. Set Instant Pot to 30 minutes high pressure.

While the broth is being made. Prepare the crab and pork mixture. In a medium mixing bowl add the ground pork, minced crab meat, eggs, salt, pepper, fish sauce, sugar crab paste and green onions. Mix well until you no longer see chunks of ground pork. Set aside

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and slice the shallot. On medium-high heat in a large sauce pan add oil and brown the shallots. Add the tomatoes and 2 tbsp sugar and slightly cook add sides for roughly 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

After the broth is done natural release. Carefully open the lid and set it to saute mode. Remove the onion and ginger. Using a large spoon add the crab and pork mixture but scoping a large spoonful. Add it slowly into the broth and continue scoping until all of the crab and pork mixture it is in the soup. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and tomatoes and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes.

Season with salt accordingly.

Add rice vermicelli noodles to a bowl. Add soup and a mix of crab and pork patties, tofu and tomatoes. Garnish with herbs, bean sprouts, red cabbage, lemon/lime juice. Enjoy with some Thai chilis

You have questions? We have answers!

Can I use imitation crab?

Imitation crab meat may be more easily accessible and can be found in regular supermarkets. I personally have not tried using it before but it will work if you chop it up in small pieces. Use ½ cup of the crab paste to add more flavor. Let me know how how it turns out if you decide to use imitation crab.

Should I use shrimp paste in the crab and pork mixture?

Traditionally, shrimp paste is used for bun rieu noodle soup. I personally leave it out as it’s not my preference to add to the soup. However, feel free to add it to the soup. Its also use to as a dipping sauce for this noodle soup.

How to serve

Serve this with a delicious Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie, Vietnamese Papaya Smoothie or Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffle for dessert.

Make ahead, storage and reheating

Bun rieu taste better the next day. The soup develops the crab flavor overnight. All the crab and pork flavor makes the broth so flavorful. I like to make more so I double up on all the ingredients so I can serve this the next day.

If there are leftovers or you make extra store the soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It can be kept for up to 3 days in the fridge. The vermicelli noodles I will keep it in a separate container so it does not get soggy.

Expert Tips

Using real or frozen crab is best for this recipe. Unfortunately the Asian Supermarkets I go to have not been carrying them in the frozen section. Mainly due to supply chain issues where I am located. If you are using frozen crab meat instead of canned minced crab meat use 1 cup of crab meat and add 2 tablespoons of crab paste.

The crab and pork mixture may break up in the soup when it is cooking. The best approach it to not overcook the crab and pork mixture. Having enough pork and eggs will help bind the patties when it cooking.

Equipment

Instant Pot will reduce the cooking time for the broth. If you decide to skip the broth and use store-bought this can be made on the stovetop as well.

Check out my other Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Korean Pork Bone Soup (Gamjatang)
• Instant Pot Bitter Melon Soup (Canh Khổ Qua)
• Simple Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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