Num pachok tirk kdam Pol Leav.
(Bac Lieu crab noodle soup.)

Authentic Khmer Krom crab noodle soup recipe originated from *Pol Leav* Bac Lieu province, which cooked with only *kdam sre* country field crab. Vietnamese people loves Khmer Krom crab noodle soup that they named *bun rieu.* Unfortunately , this crab noodle soup is also one of many Khmer Krom recipes that we didn't get credit.
This delicious crab noodle soup recipe have been modified to makes cooking easier, and cheaper.

• Ingredients :
  • 8 Cups water
  • 1 Package rice vermicelli noodle
  • 4 Maryland blue crabs
  • 2 Eggs, slighty beaten
  • ¼ Cup dried shrimp, soaked in water and drained
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 Pieces firmed tofu
  • 4 Cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 Large tomatoes, diced
  • 1 Jar, 3.2 oz, crab paste with soya bean oil
  • ½ lb Grounded pork, or ground turkey
  • ½ lb Shrimp, peeled, de-veined and grounded
  • 2 Stalk green onion, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • ½ Tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 Canned chicken broth
  • 2 Cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ lbAsian water spinach , picked out leaves and shredded stems
  • A bunch of fresh mint leave or mix herbs
  • 1 Fresh lime or lemon, sliced
  • Shrimp paste (option)
  • Chili pepper (option)
  • 3 Stalks green onion, chopped
• Procedures :
  Put 8 cups water in a large pot, cook till water bubbling, add noodle to boiling water and cook till noodle tender. Pour cooked noodle in a colander, rinses with cold water, drained and set a side.
  Cleaned and brushed crab before removes the top shells. Removes crab’s roe from the top shell and crab's body, put crab's roe in same bowl with beaten eggs and set it a side.
  Cut crab body to 4 pieces and set a side.
  Put dried shrimp in food process, grinded very fine or using mortal and pestles to manually pounded *boke* dried shrimp really fine, when done set a side.
  Heat up a non-stick skillet or wok.
  When skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil, fry tofu in hot oil till golden brown on both sides, removes fried tofu from heat, cut tofu to chunks bite sizes, put in a plate and set it a side.
  Pour remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet, add garlic, yellow onion, tomato, dried shrimp and a jar crab paste, stirs well and cook for 5 minutes, remove skillet from the stove and set it a side.
  In a small bowl, put grounded pork with grounded shrimp, green onion, fish sauce, sugar and black pepper together, mix well. Take some marinated meat and make to small meatball, when done put it in a plate,continue till marinated meat gone, set meat balls a side.
  Pour 4 cans chicken broth and 2 cups water in a large soup pot, cook till water bubbling, add meatball , fried tofu and prepared tomato sauce to boiling water, stirs, add crab, stirs well.
  Seasoning with fish sauce, salt, sugar and black pepper, stirs well.
  When soup start to bubbling again, stirs egg and crab's roe together and pour in to boiling soup, simmering till egg mixture forms a layer on top soup. Be careful when stirs soup, for you want to keep the layer of egg mixture in chunks not liquefy .
  In a large plate, put shredded water spinach stems with mint or mix herbs together, set a side.
  TO SERVE NOODLES:
  Put some cooked noodles in a bowl, pour hot soup with few meatball, a piece of crab, some fried tofu and egg mixture on top noodles. Top with some chopped green onion.
  Serves immediately along with mix vegetables, shrimp-paste, lime and chili pepper.