Our Taste of Home: Bún Riêu

By Katherine Ha

When my mom was growing up in the midst of the Vietnam War, her family was incredibly poor. To feed her family of 11, my grandmother would cook bún riêu. Bún riêu is a traditional Vietnamese soup of meat and rice vermicelli, served with tomato broth and topped with crab. It is a simple and cheap dish that can easily fill the stomachs of many.

Photo of bún riêu made by Katherine’s mom

Upon coming over to America, my mom found new ways to add to her typical bún riêu. She added ground shrimp and different spices to increase the nutrient quantity and put a spin on this traditional dish. Inspiration was drawn from the new ingredients available at American markets, from the ways that her friends and family cooked, and special techniques drawn from restaurants. She incorporated lessons from all these sources to create her own version of bún riêu to reflect her new Vietnamese-American identity.

My dad will purchase fresh ingredients for her at the local Vietnamese market the day before, and on Sunday morning, my mom will begin her cooking process. In the early hours of the day, she will begin chopping vegetables and blending her crab mixture to create crab balls that I have come to associated with bún riêu. When my sister and I finally wake, the sound of my mom’s soft singing and aroma of her cooking has filled the house. Beyond the lemon, lettuce, and fish sauce that we top our bowls off with, you can taste the love and care that my mom puts into feeding her family— just as her mom did before her.

From a meal that originated as a survival tactic of her parents to provide a simple meal for their large family, bún riêu has transformed through my mother’s creativity and diligence into a staple dish of love for us.