Bun rieu / Tomato crab soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled, halved
2 gray shallots
4 garlic cloves, crushed
200 g (7 oz) ground pork
3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
5 l good quality chicken broth
125 ml (½ cup) dried shrimp
1 cup (250 ml) fish sauce
1 C. tablespoons of peppercorns
170 ml (⅔ t) sugar
1 C. chilli flakes
2 cups (500 ml) crab meat
1 C. of shrimp paste, diluted in
2 tbsp. tablespoon of water
3 large eggs, beaten
1 C. salt
1 C. tablespoon ground pepper
2 green shallots, cut into pieces
125 ml (½ cup) fresh cilantro, chopped
a packet of rice vermicelli
For the plate of herbs
2 cups (500 ml) bean sprouts
125 ml (½ cup) Thai basil
¼ red or white cabbage, grated
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

1- a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion, shallots, garlic, ground pork and tomatoes. Stir and cook for about two minutes. Add the chicken broth, dried shrimp, fish sauce, pepper, sugar and chili flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim if necessary.
2- Add the crab meat, the diluted shrimp paste and the beaten eggs, mixing them well with the broth, then season. Then lower the heat and simmer for about twenty minutes.
3- Cook the vermicelli in boiling water. Cover and wait 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Divide into individual bowls and reheat in the microwave.
4- Pour the soup into other bowls and garnish with the shallot and cilantro. Serve the soup piping hot, along with the plate of herbs and a lime wedge.