Hai Phong red noodles with steamed crab (Banh da cua tron)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp chilli oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
• 4 cm piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 live mud crab, about 1 kg, cooked and meat picked (see note)
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 200 g banh da 
• handful water spinach, blanched and refreshed in iced water, drained
• handful bean sprouts
• 1 tbsp fried shallots
• 1 tbsp roasted peanuts 

Sauce 

• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Vietnamese sate or Sriracha  
• 60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For the sauce, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan, stir to combine well and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

2. Place a frying pan or wok over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the cooked crab meat and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and the spring onion and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Transfer the crab mixture into the reserved upper crab shell and set aside. 

3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 5 seconds if using fresh or according to packet instructions if using fully dried. Drain, then place in a bowl with the water spinach, bean sprouts and the remaining sauce. Toss to coat well, then transfer to a serving plate. Top with the filled crab and scatter with the fried shallots and peanuts.

Catch Luke Nguyen on the tracks dishing up Vietnamese fare in the brand-new series, Luke Nguyen's Railway Vietnam.