How to make Súp Măng Cua (Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup)

Today we’re making a Vietnamese classic and one of the most requested soup recipes, Súp Măng Cua (Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup)!

Growing up you would often see the served at Vietnamese weddings because it was considered a delicacy because it had crab and white asparagus and was super rich and thick. Fun fact this dish was actually a creation of Asian fusion. It was inspired by the French’s influence since white asparagus isn’t common in Vietnam.

Now this usually takes quite a long time but I wanted to make a quicker and easier version of it. So we’re using store-bought chicken broth, imitation and canned/fresh crab (depending on what you can find). Crab can get really expensive I know and I wanted to make this easy on everyone. But feel free to use fresh crab if you feeling boujee 😉

I ended up taking this whole batch to our trip in Joshua tree this summer and it was a hit! Now top with some chili oil or even XO sauce and it’s perfection! Let me know if you try the recipe and share with me online if you do!

Most Requested Soup: Súp Măng Cua (Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup)

Recipe by Jen H. DaoCourse: RecipesCuisine: asian, viet, vietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cup canned/fresh crab (I like Snow Crab)

• 3 cups white asparagus (cut into small pieces)

• 2 cups imitation crab (cut diagonally into pieces)

• 1 can of quail eggs

• 12 cups chicken broth

• 2 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tsp of salt

• 3 eggs (separate egg whites and yolks)

• Slurry Mix (to thicken soup)

• 1/2 cup tapioca starch + 1/2 cup cold water (mix)

• Garnish

• 2 green onions (chopped)

• Chili Oil

Directions

• Prep and cut up ingredients: asparagus, imitation crab, and crab meat (peel and de-shell crab meat or if using canned crab, drain.) In a pot, bring chicken stock to a boil.
• Add everything except eggs and tapioca/water mix. Cook for 5 mins on medium/low heat.
• Mix tapioca slurry and slowly pour into soup while stirring. Repeat with egg whites then egg yolks. Cook for 5 mins.
• Season to taste with sugar, chicken bouillon, salt and black pepper. Serve with cilantro and chili oil/xo sauce.