Vietnamese Prawn Noodle Soup (Bún Tôm Khô)
It's been freezing here lately, and all I've been craving is a hot bowl of noodle soup. Vietnamese Prawn Noodle Soup came to mind - I haven't made it in a while and although it does require a fair few ingredients, I happened to have everything in the fridge (and freezer) today. So, Bún Tôm Khô it is for dinner tonight.
A taste of home
When my Mum came over for a visit in the summer, she brought with her a suitcase packed full of home - Vietnamese ingredients. Even though I'd told her that I could now find almost everything in supermarkets or Asian grocery shops, she still insisted on bringing me a stash. Amongst all the treasure, she gave me a whole kilo of dried prawns. I split them into smaller portions and froze them to use over the coming months.
The reason I'm mentioning dried prawns is that they're the base of this dish. You can buy them in Asian shops or order them easily on Amazon. After defrosting a portion of 120g, I soak the dried prawns in water for ten minutes to soften them, then blend them into a fine mince. Half of it will go into the broth, creating that lovely, naturally sweet flavour, while the other half will be used in the prawn meatballs.
A light yet flavourful broth
What I love about this dish is that the broth has layers of flavours, yet it remains light and clear. You don't feel heavy even after devouring a big bowl. The broth is beautifully sweet, slightly sour from the tomatoes and topped with fried tofu, prawn and pork meatballs and fresh king prawns.
Making the broth
To ensure the broth is naturally sweet yet clear, I use blended dried prawns along with vegetables like mooli (sliced into thick rounds) and onions. Everything goes into a big stockpot with three litres of water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer over low heat for about an hour.
Preparing the components
While the broth is cooking, it's time to prep the rest of the Vietnamese Prawn Noodle Soup dish.
Fried tofu
Slice the tofu into sizeable pieces and pan-fry both sides until golden. Set them aside.
Prawn and pork meatballs - The star of the dish
These meatballs are what make Bún Tôm Khô special. To make them, you'll need:
- Blended dried prawns (half of the total)
- Pork mince
- Vietnamese pork sausage meat (I usually make a batch and freeze portions for other dishes. You can find the recipe here)
- Minced garlic and shallots
- Ground pepper
- Fish sauce
Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside for later.
Tomatoes for the sweet and sour base
Tomatoes add that subtle sweet and sour depth to the broth. I use quite a lot for this dish. Cut them into wedges, then saute them in annatto oil with sliced shallots over medium-high heat. Cook for just a couple of minutes - any longer and they'll become mushy. Set them aside.
Final ingredients
- Carrots - slice them into half-centimetre thick rounds.
- Dried round noodles - boil a pot of water, add the noodles and, turn off the heat; let them sit for four minutes with the lid on. Then, drain and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Garnishes - coriander and mint leaves, sliced spring onions (white and green parts), beansprouts and red chilli for a spicy kick.
Bringing it all together
Once the broth has been simmering for an hour, remove the onions and mooli. Now it's time to cook the prawn and pork meatballs. Scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture and drop them into the simmering broth. As they cook, they'll float to the surface, this takes about five minutes.
Next, add the fried tofu, cooked tomatoes, and sliced carrots to the pot. Let everything simmer for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust with fish sauce if needed.
The broth should now have a lovely clear yet slightly orange hue from the annatto oil.
Cooking the fresh king prawns
To avoid losing them in the broth, I use a sieve. I dip into the boiling broth and add the fresh king prawns inside. This way, they cook through without getting lost in the soup. It only takes a couple of minutes for them to be cooked.
Serving the perfect bowl of Vietnamese Prawn Noodle Soup
Now, it's time to assemble the bowls and bring this comforting dish to the table.
- Divide the cooked noodles into individual bowls.
- Top with tofu, prawn and pork meatballs and fresh king prawns.
- Sprinkle over chopped spring onions, coriander leaves and beansprouts.
- Ladle over the steaming hot broth.
- Add a couple of slices of red chilli or a drizzle of siracha for extra heat.
A winter comfort bowl
This Bún Tôm Khô is the perfect warm and comforting dish for a cold winter's day. The light yet flavourful broth, tender prawn and pork meatballs, and the balance of sweet, savoury and tangy flavours make it a must-try.
So, if you're looking for a new Vietnamese noodle soup to add to your repertoire, give this a go. It might just become your next favourite!
Would you try making this at home? Let me know in the comments!
A comforting Vietnamese Prawn Noodle Soup with a light yet flavourful broth, tender prawn and pork meatballs, fried tofu and fresh king prawns. Perfect for chilly days!
- 60 g dried prawns (soaked and blended)
- 1 kg mooli (sliced into thick rounds)
- 2 onions (peeled)
- 3 litres water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 g blended dried prawn (half of the total)
- 250 g pork mince
- 200 g Vietnamese pork sausage meat (recipe link in the blog post)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 small shallots (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon annatto oil (recipe link in the blog post)
- 5 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
- 1 carrot (sliced into 1/2cm rounds)
- 400 g tofu (cut into sizeable pieces and fried)
- 250 g fresh king prawns
- 400 g dried round noodles (1 pack)
- 1 tablespoon annatto oil
- 3 small shallots (sliced)
- Coriander leaves
- Mint leaves
- Chopped spring onions (both white and green parts)
- Beansprouts
- Sliced red chilli (optional)
- Make the Broth
- In a large stockpot, add blended dried prawns, mooli, onions, water and salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- Prepare the Prawn and Pork Meatballs
- In a bowl, mix pork mince, Vietnamese pork sausage meat, minced garlic, minced shallot, ground pepper, fish sauce and annatto oil.
- Set aside for later.
- Fry the Tofu
- Heat oil in a pan and fry tofu on both sides until golden.
- Remove and set aside.
- Cook the Tomatoes
- Heat annatto oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add sliced shallots and fry until golden, then add tomato wedges.
- Stir and cook for 2 minutes, then set aside.
- Cook the Noodles
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes.
- Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Assemble the Soup
- Remove onions and mooli from the broth.
- Using a spoon, scoop small portions of the prawn and pork meat mixture and drop them into the simmering broth.
- Simmer for 5 minutes until the meatballs float to the surface.
- Add fried tofu, cooked tomatoes and sliced carrots. Simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning with fish sauce if needed.
- Using a sieve, lower the fresh king prawns into the broth and cook for 2 minutes until pink. Remove and set aside.
- Serve the Noodle Soup
- Divide the cooked noodles into serving bowls.
- Top with prawn and pork meatballs, fried tofu and fresh king prawns.
- Garnish with spring onions, coriander leaves, beansprouts and red chilli.
- Ladle over the hot broth.
- Add a drizzle of siracha or chilli slices for extra heat (optional).