Bún Riêu Chay is a light yet comforting Vietnamese noodle soup with a tomato-infused base, creamy tofu 'crab' blend, and served with fresh herbs. A delicious yet underrated Vietnamese dish.
What is Bún Riêu Chay (Vegan Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)?
Bún Riêu Chay is a plant-based version of the traditional Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup - a popular noodle soup from Northern Vietnam. It has a balance of tangy flavors from the tomato and sweetness from the mushrooms. Moreover, this noodle soup is perfect for the fall and winter months, as it's like a comforting hug in a bowl!
This original dish uses crab blend to make the 'Riêu'. To make it 100% plant-based, we use soft tofu and mix it with annatto oil, salt, and pepper. Use a small strainer to strain out the bean curds, add this to a bowl, and combine with some seasonings.
Why this recipe works
This recipe is:
- Perfect for weeknights or breakfast or lunches on the weekends
- Can be made in batches and the broth will become more flavorful over time
- Has a balance of savory, tangy, and sweet flavors
- Healthy, full of vegetables, fresh herbs
- Flavorful and nourishing
- Versatile and easily accessible ingredients
What you'll need for this recipe
To make this recipe, you'll need:
Fruits & vegetables:
- 1 daikon
- 3 carrots
- 2 apples
- 100g mushrooms of choice (I use a combination of oyster and king oyster mushrooms)
- Scallions (green onions)
- Lettuce
- Bean sprouts
- Fresh herbs
- Tomatoes
Protein sources:
- Tofu (I used 300g firm tofu and 100g soft tofu)
- Vegetarian ham (giò chay)
Grain:
- Rice noodles
Aromatics & seasonings:
- Tamarind paste
- Soy sauce
- Shallots
- Annatto seeds
- Salt and sugar
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Make the stock
First, make the stock by peeling and slicing the carrots and daikon. Cut the apple into similar size pieces and separate the green part of the scallions from the white part. Use the white part of the scallions for the stock and reserve the green part later for garnishing.
Pressure cook the vegetables and fruits with 1.5L water for 30 minutes or on the stovetop for 1 hour.
Step 2: Make the toppings
While the vegetables are being cooked, pat dry and cut the tofu into cubes. Fry the tofu cubes in oil on a non-stick pan until golden on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the remaining oil on the pan (add more oil if needed - make sure to have at least 3 tablespoon oil remaining), add the annatto seeds. Stir fry the annatto seeds on medium heat.
Turn off the heat and strain off the seeds. Alternatively, you can use pre-made annatto oil.
To make the annatto oil, add 2 tablespoon annatto oil to a pot, cut the tomatoes into cubes, and stir fry in the pot for 5 minutes. Next, add the stock water (straining the fruits & vegetables).
After this, add the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Season the broth with salt, pepper, tamarind paste, and soy sauce. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes while we prepare the remaining ingredients.
Next, we prepare the vegan 'crab' meat (Riêu):
Mash the soft tofu into crumbles with a fork.
Stir fry the tofu crumbles in a pan with the remaining annatto oil, salt, and pepper. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl and press down firmly with a fork or the back of your spatula.
How to serve this Bún Riêu Chay?
Serve the broth and toppings over cooked rice noodles and fresh herbs.
Tamarind paste is made from a sour, dark, sticky fruit that grows in a pod on a tamarind tree. It adds a tangy unique flavor to the broth. If you cannot access it, you can use a mix of rice vinegar (or lime juice) and sugar (1:1 ratio). However, note that the flavor might be slightly different.
Vegetarian ham is optional and adds to the texture. You can leave it out of the dish.
I recommend lettuce, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and perilla leaves. Alternatively, you can also use cilantro or mint.
Of course, feel free to use other mushrooms that you have on hand. Cremini mushrooms, oyster mushroom, shimeji mushrooms work well here.
If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!
Print📖 Recipe
Bún Riêu Chay (Vegan Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Bún Riêu Chay is a light yet comforting Vietnamese noodle soup with a tomato-infused base, creamy tofu 'crab' blend and served with fresh herbs. Flavorful and aromatic!
Ingredients
Stock water:
- 1 daikon
- 3 small carrots (or 1-2 medium carrot)
- 2 apples
- 3 green onions (scallion) - only the white part
- 1.5L water
- 4 heaped teaspoon of mushroom seasoning (salt - add more or less to taste)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste (alternatively use the juice from ½ a lime)
Fried tofu:
- 300g firm tofu
- Oil for frying
Annatto oil:
- 2 shallots
- 2 tbsp annatto seeds (optional)
Vegetables:
- 1 shallot
- 3-4 tomatoes
- 100g mushrooms of choice (I used shimeji and king oyster mushrooms)
Vegan crab meat:
- 100g soft or firm tofu
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Noodles:
- 4 servings of vermicelli rice noodles
Garnishes:
- The green part of the scallions (green onions)
- A variety of fresh herbs: lettuce, bean sprouts, Thai basil, perilla leaves (optional, use what you have)
- Vegetarian ham (optional)
- Lime wedges (optional)
- Chilli slices (optional)
Instructions
Make the stock
- Peel the carrots and daikon. Cut the daikon, carrots, and apples into equal-sized cubes. Separate the green part from the white part of the scallion.
- Add the daikon, carrot and apple cubes to a big pot with the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Pressure cook for 30 minutes or cook on the stovetop for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, pat dry and cut the tofu into cubes. Fry the tofu cubes in oil on a non-stick pan until golden on all sides. Remove from heat.
Make the annatto oil and vegetables
- In the remaining oil on the pan (add more oil if needed - make sure to have at least 3 tablespoon oil remaining), add the annatto seeds. Stir fry the annatto seeds on medium heat. Turn off the heat and strain off the seeds. Alternatively, you can use pre-made annatto oil.
- Cut the tomatoes into cubes. Cut the mushrooms into slices. Mince the shallot.
- Add 2 tablespoon annatto oil to a pot, add the minced shallots, then the tomatoes. Stir fry in the pot for 3 minutes. Add the stock water (straining the fruits & vegetables).
- Add the mushrooms and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes while we prepare the remaining ingredients.
Make the vegan ‘crab’ meat
- Mash the tofu into crumbles with a fork.
- Stir fry in a pan with the remaining annatto oil, salt, and pepper. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add the vegan ‘crab’ meat into a bowl and use a spoon or spatula to press down the tofu. Set aside.
Make the rice noodles
- Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Prepare the fresh herbs: Rinse them with water, cut the lettuce and perilla leaves into thin slices.
- Cut the optional vegetarian ham into thin slices.
Assemble the Vegan Bun Rieu
- In a bowl, add the cooked vermicelli rice noodles, followed by the toppings: fried tofu, vegan crab meat, scallion, (optional) herbs, (optional) vegetarian ham. Pour over the broth with the mushrooms and tomatoes.
- Repeat this step with the other bowls and enjoy with some lime wedges and chilli slices.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 329 kcal
- Sugar: 13.1g
- Sodium: 1298mg
- Fat: 14.5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1g
- Carbohydrates: 42.7g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Protein: 10.4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: noodle soup, tofu, tomato sauce, vegan, vietnamese
Helen says
My fave noodle soup ever since I was a kid! You forgot to let us know how to season the bean curd in your recipe, though you mention it in the intro. 🙂 I do something similar but I just use soft tofu (not the silken kind) and mush it up with my hands. I add some finely minced sauteed garlic and shallots for flavour and a key ingredient to make it taste fishy: vegan tuna and the oil it's packed in. Mix it all up. I do eat eggs so I also add an egg to bind it, then drop spoonfuls into the pot of broth. I also saute onions with the tomatoes for a more flavourful broth since I'm not Buddhist veg (I know lots of Viet people who eat chay avoid garlic and onion).
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your comment. So cool how you make it 😀
Veggie Anh says
I'm gonna try this with vegan tuna too, super cool idea to make it fishy!
vegan rando says
there's actually a vietnamese vegan restaurant in my city called "tamarind". eating there made me realize that viet vegan food is probably my favorite and then i found this amazing blog; keep up the great work!
in case you wanted a look:
http://www.tamarindyyc.ca/Tamarind-Vietnamese.html
★★★★★