Growing up in Vietnam, Steven Nguyen’s favourite Vietnamese noodle soup is his aunt’s version of Banh Canh Tom Cua.
For the uninitiated, Banh Canh is a crab-based Vietnamese noodle soup that uses thick round noodles, plenty of shrimps, crab meat and crab roe in a thick broth and topped with coriander and spring onion.
During a recent trip back to Hanoi with business partner Paul Wong to get ideas for new dishes that they could bring back to their Vietnamese restaurants in Auckland that included Jungle 8 and Saigon Commune, Wong asked Nguyen to take him to the “best noodle you can find”.
“I closed my eyes and imagined the best noodles I ever had in Vietnam, and my memory goes back to my aunt’s kitchen,” said Nguyen, who is the head chef at Saigon Commune.
“As kids, we used to eat her banh canh with a spoon, no chopsticks, and sometimes slurp directly from the bowl. We never leave even a drop of soup behind because it is so delicious.”
So instead of going to a noodle shop, Nguyen took Wong to his aunt’s home - far from the tourist trail - it was love at first slurp.
“I would describe that first taste as a truly magical moment,” said Wong.
“Steven’s aunt explained that her noodle dish is made from a generations-old family recipe and her Banh Canh is truly legendary.”
Aunty Nguyen’s Banh Canh Tom Cua has an orange-coloured broth which comes from boiling plenty of crab meat and prawn heads for hours to get the sweetness out, and is thickened with a tapioca starch slurry.
“Each spoonful reveals tender morsels of crab and prawns, their sweetness amplified by the rich and complex seafood broth,” Wong said.
“This isn’t just a soup, it’s an obsession. It’s a dish that would haunt our dreams for the rest of our trip.”
Wong said that as they sat on Aunty Nguyen’s table that afternoon, “just one more bowl” became their mantra and with each bowl, came a determination to bring this dish back to Auckland.
“Now after months of persuasion, and maybe a little begging, Steven’s aunt finally agreed to share this family recipe,” Wong said.
“But we didn’t recreate it, we reimagined it, merging traditional Vietnamese soul with modern culinary techniques, we’ve created something that’s uniquely ours.”
The result was a bowl of pure comfort - both familiar and excitingly new. The broth is richer and more intense than the original, and carries the essence of the sea in every spoonful.
“Each element has been carefully considered, from the noodles to the generous portions of seafood that make every bite a discovery,” Wong said.
“This isn’t just another noodle dish, it’s a piece of Steven’s family history and now we’re thrilled to share it.”
Wong said to think of it “as a love letter to Vietnamese cuisine, written in the language of French bisque”.
Wong is always on the lookout for new and unusual dishes to serve his diners, but says this Banh Canh Cua is officially his favourite Vietnamese noodle dish.
The dish will be available from Wednesday 6 November 2024 at Saigon Commune at a special introductory price of $19.
Eat it! SAIGON COMMUNE 252 Oteha Valley Road, Albany.
To book: 021 464 541
This article is brought to you in partnership with SAIGON COMMUNE.
