Sup Mang Cua (Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup)

Súp măng cua or Vietnamese crab and asparagus soup is a delicious, comforting yet elegant egg drop soup that is most commonly served at large banquet style events.

Course Appetizer, Appetizer & Sides, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword asparagus and crab soup, crab and asparagus soup, sup cua, sup mang cua, sup mang cua recipe, Vietnamese crab soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 15

Total Time 2 30

Servings servings

Calories 30kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Broth

5 lbs pork bones washed
24 cups water about 1.5 gallons of water
3 leeks sliced in half vertically and washed, tied together
2-3 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder to taste
1 teaspoon salt
3 palm sugar cubes
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 tablespoon fish sauce to taste

Soup

2 (500 g) cans white asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (16 oz) can lump crab meat
1 (15 oz) can quail eggs
2 dried snow white fungus optional
1 fish maw optional
3 large eggs whites and 1 egg yolk

Potato Starch Slurry

½ cup Potato starch
1 cup water

Garnish

Cilantro diced
Green onion diced
White Pepper

Instructions

Blanch the pork. In a large pot, fill the pot halfway and bring to a boil over high heat. Then add the washed pork bones and bring the water to a boil. Then drain the water and rinse off the pork bones.
Make the broth. In a 7-quart stock pot, add the pork bones, leeks, and 24 cups of water (1.5 gallons), or enough to reach the brim of the pot leaving about 1 inch at the top. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim the scum off the top of the water. Then lower the heat to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder, salt, and palm sugar and simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Then remove the bones and leeks and add in 2 cups of chicken stock.
Soak the white fungus and fish maw. In a large bowl, soak the white fungus and fish maw in hot water for about 10 minutes or until they open up and soften. Then cut into small 1-inch pieces. Remove the rough center from the white fungus.
Prepare the asparagus. Remove the asparagus and slice it into 1-inch pieces. Save about 1/2 cup of asparagus canned juice.
Add crab, white fungus, fish maw, and asparagus. Add the crab with the juice from the can, cut white fungus, fish maw, and prepared asparagus and asparagus juice to the pot, and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add eggs and quail eggs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites and 1 egg yolk. When the soup reaches a boil, slowly pour the eggs into the soup while gently stirring to create egg ribbons in the soup. Then add the quail eggs.
Thicken the soup. In a mixing bowl, mix together the potato starch and water until combined. Wait until the soup comes to a boil, then slowly pour in the potato starch slurry while mixing. This will thicken the soup. Add more if needed.
Season and serve. Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Then taste and season with more chicken bouillon powder or fish sauce to taste. Serve in individual bowls, sprinkle with white pepper, and garnish with diced green onion and cilantro. Enjoy immediately when hot.

Notes

Make homemade broth: nothing beats the depth of flavor that comes from a homemade pork broth. Yes it is time consuming but the final result is so much better than store-bought stock.
Fish maw and white fungus is optional. These are plus up ingredients that will make the Vietnamese crab soup more filling and hearty. You can always eliminate these ingredients for a simpler sup mang cua recipe.
Reserve some canned asparagus juice: this may sound odd, but the canned asparagus soup gently sweetens the soup and gives it a richer white asparagus flavor.
Add more potato starch slurry as needed: if you’d like a thicker soup, continue adding more potato starch slurry 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired thickness.
Taste and adjust the seasonings: you will need to taste and adjust the crab and asparagus soup based on your preferences. If it is too bland, add another tablespoon of fish sauce, salt or chicken bouillon powder. If it is too salty, add more water to dilute it.
Make ahead: you can always make this sup mang cua recipe in advance. Once the soup is cooked and has time for the flavors to blend together overnight, it yields the best results.
Storage Instructions: You can store this Vietnamese crab and asparagus soup in airtight jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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