How to Make Vietnamese Jute Leaf Crab Soup
How to cook jute leaf crab soup with malabar spinach and loofah, ensuring the soup stays vibrant green, not too slimy, and the crab paste doesn’t break apart. The result is a sweet, non-fishy broth, a perfect Northern dish.
Once you know how to prepare the crab, this jute leaf soup becomes very simple to make. It’s the most common type of crab soup, and even on the hottest days, a bowl of jute leaf crab soup paired with salted eggplant, crispy pork, or braised fish makes for a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 200g field crabs
- 1/2 bunch jute leaves
- 1/2 bunch malabar spinach
- 2 small loofahs ~ 250g
- 3 shallots
- Coarse salt
- Seasonings: Fish sauce, MSG, seasoning powder
Instructions
Preparing the Field Crabs
Most vendors will clean the crabs for you, so you’ll receive two parts: ground crab meat and crab roe.
If you need to clean the crabs yourself, you can follow the steps in this guide.
Place the crab meat in a bowl, add water, and use your hands to mix it thoroughly to separate the meat from the shell. After letting it settle, pour the water into a pot, leaving the heavier shells at the bottom. Repeat this process, adding water and straining until the water runs clear.
You can use a sieve to strain the crab water, but hand-straining allows you to retain more crab meat.
Preparing the Other Ingredients
Pick only the fresh green leaves and tender stems from the jute and spinach, discarding any tough stems, yellowed, or damaged leaves. Wash the greens and soak them in a diluted saltwater solution for about 5 minutes to remove any small insects.
Rinse the greens 2-3 more times, then let them dry. Finally, cut them into finger-length pieces.
Peel the loofah, remove both ends, wash, and cut it diagonally into bite-sized pieces.
Peel and thinly slice the shallots.
Sautéing the Crab Roe
Some people cook the crab roe directly in the crab broth, but sautéing it with shallots adds a rich flavor to the soup.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and fry the shallots until fragrant. Then add the crab roe and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Sauté on low heat until the roe is cooked, then transfer it to a bowl.
Cooking the Crab Soup
Add a little seasoning powder and MSG to the strained crab water (adjust seasoning to taste, as a bit of salt is usually added when pounding the crabs). Stir gently in a clockwise motion and bring the pot to a boil.
To prevent the crab paste from breaking apart, monitor the heat. If the water boils too vigorously, the crab meat will disintegrate and won't form chunks.
Once the soup boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer. The crab meat will float to the top and form solid chunks. After about a minute, scoop the crab chunks into a separate bowl, or push them to one side of the pot before adding the greens and loofah.
When adding the greens, increase the heat to keep the soup vibrant and fragrant. Do not cover the pot to avoid overcooking and wilting the greens.
After about 30 seconds, add the loofah and stir gently.
Season to taste with seasoning powder and a dash of fish sauce for aroma. Once the loofah is cooked, turn off the heat and ladle the soup into a bowl. Top with the sautéed crab roe and crab chunks.
Jute leaf crab soup is sweet and refreshing, perfect for cooling down. Adding spinach and loofah enhances the aroma and balances the sliminess of the jute leaves. This dish is best enjoyed in summer, served with crispy salted eggplant, making it a real comfort meal.
