Located at 4 Phan Boi Chau Street, near the Le Loi - Phan Boi Chau intersection, District 1's Ben Thanh market area, the food stall was well known as the stomping ground of many foreign visitors, overseas Vietnamese and artists prior to the pandemic. Unlike other versions of crab noodle soup, or bun rieu , the dish here consists of a big chunk of fried tofu, congealed duck blood, a slice of tomato and its huge, signature crab meatball instead of the typically lumpy crab meat with small bite-size pieces on top. It would seem the cook aims to preserve all original flavors pertaining to this dish, allowing guests to enjoy the rich and soft tofu, chewy blood jelly and firm, tasty crab meatball and thin rice vermicelli. The dish is served with a plate of special fish sauce, chili, shrimp paste and tamarind dipping and a plate of fresh split morning glory, mung bean sprouts, thin strips of banana blossom, cilantro and basil leaves. A bowl of noodle soup at "Bun Rieu Ganh" in Saigon. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi. Mai Thi Lien, 60-year-old owner of "Bun Rieu Ganh", has always been loyal to the traditional soup taste for over 40 years with her mother’s recipe. "The noodle soup is well seasoned. To add sourness, we do not use lime or kumquat juice but tamarind instead," Lien said. Even though the price per serving is VND55,000 ($2.4), considered higher than at other stalls in the city, Lien claims she is not thrifty when spending money on ingredients since when it came to good food, it was quality that counted. Besides, inner-city rent further explains the higher price. "In the past, it used to be a street vending business, my customers had to borrow seats from nearby stalls. So seven years ago, I started to rent a fully equipped place with seats and air conditioners and needless to say, the fee is exorbitant," she said. Special crab meatballs in a bun rieu pot at the shop. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi. Nguyen Nhat Huy from …
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