Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours stove cooker; 25 minutes pressure cooker
Total time: 3 hours stove cooker; 1 hour 25 minutes pressure cooker
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 Shallots
3 cloves of Garlic
1/2 lb of pork belly
1/3 lb of Peeled shrimp
8 small dried shrimps
6 tsps of ach cua xao dau an
1 egg
1.5 tsps of salt
2 tsps of sugar
3/4 tsp of MSG
2 tsps of mam tom
1 lb of daikon
1.5 onions
1 lb of pork/ chicken bones
3.5 qts of water
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 lb of tofu
2 tomatoes
1 tsp of fish sauce
1 lb of bún
2 green onions for garnishing
Step 1: Chả tôm
Soak dry shrimp in hot water for 1 hour (until soft). With a food processor, blend 2 shallots, 2 cloves of garlic and (softened) dry shrimp 15 seconds. Add pork belly in and blend for another 2 times of 15 seconds. Add peeled shrimp in and blend 2 times of 15 seconds (until smooth). Drop 1 egg and 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1/4 tsp of MSG, 1 tsp of mam tom, 3 tsps of gach cua xao dau an in and blend for 15 seconds.
Step 2: Soup base
In a pressure cooker, add pork/ chicken bones, daikon, 1 whole onion and 1 tsp of salt into water, pressured cook for 15 min* then natural release. Add chicken broth and 1/2 of MSG when natural release finishes. Meanwhile fry tofu and set aside.
*For stove cooking, medium fire until boiling then low fire for 2 hours.
Step 3: Combine
Scoop chả tôm into the soup base, cook on high fire. Meanwhile cut tomatoes into 8 pieces each, briefly fry with oil, 1 chopped shallot, and 1 chopped clove of garlic. Once the soup base (with chả tôm) is boiling, drop fried tomatoes in and set on low fire for 10 minutes. Drop fired tofu in and leave the soup for another 5 minutes on low fire.
Step 4: Serving
With soup set on medium fire, dip bún in a colander for 2 minutes (until soft but not too soft). Add Chả tôm, tofu, tomatoes into the bowl then sliced onions and cut green onions, 1/4 tsp of mam tom and 3/4 tsp of gach cua xao dau an. Pour soup into the bowl and serve.