Bún riêu cua (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)

This is one of my all time favourite Vietnamese soups. At the peak of tomato season when Italians would be making lots of marinara sauce, my mom would make a giant pot of this soup. In the GTA there are plenty of Vietnamese noodle shops to choose from, but I have never been able to find one that makes this soup the same way my mom does. Of course, like most moms she doesn't use a recipe so trying to recreate this was a bit of an exercise in patience. It looks complicated but it really isn't. The key is the crab paste, which you can find at any well stocked Asian grocery.

Ingredients:
1 pkg (400g) rice noodles, cooked according to directions, rinsed thoroughly and drained
1 lb lean stewing pork, cut into 1" pieces
6 cups water
1 cube chicken soup bouillon
3 tbsp Bún riêu cua crab paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 green onions, cut into 1" pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (120 g) crab meat
1 can (19 oz) sliced pineapple in juice, quartered (reserve juice)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 plum tomatoes, cut into eighths (blanch and peel first if desired)

Garnishes:
lettuce, julienned
bean sprouts
lime wedges
mint
Vietnamese coriander
fried onion topping

Instructions:

1. In a separate pot of boiling water, blanch stewing pork for a few minutes.  Drain and rinse off any scum that may appear.  Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, combine 6 cups water and bouillon.  Bring to a boil, add stewing pork and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for an hour or until pork is fork tender.
3. In a non-stick pan, heat vegetable oil over high heat.  Add garlic and onions, sauteing until golden and fragrant.  Drain crab meat and add the meat to the pan.  Continue sauteing until the crab meat begins to brown.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. Add crab paste and pineapple juice to the soup.  Stir to combine.  Add tomatoes and pineapple pieces.  Continue simmering while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
5. In a small bowl, combine cooled crab meat mixture with beaten eggs.  Using a ladle, gently layer the egg and crab mixture on top of the simmering soup.  Do not let the soup come to a rapid boil or the eggs will break apart.  Cover the pot and remove from heat while the eggs finish cooking for several minutes.
6. To serve, place cooked rice noodles, lettuce and bean sprouts in a noodle bowl.  Ladle a chunk of the cooked egg mixture into the bowl and top with soup, pork, tomatoes and pineapple.  Before eating, squeeze a wedge of lime over the soup and top with fried onions, coriander and mint.

Serves 4, generously.