Crab blood pudding: A delicious dish made from the white blood and a legend from the time of the Nguyen lords.

That's how I felt when I enjoyed crab blood pudding prepared by the skillful hands of chefs from Hue who are now living in Hue.

Where did crab blood pudding originate? Who was the first chef to create this dish with its unique flavor that I am now experiencing? I am a person born and raised in Hue, but I have spent 40 years wandering and building my life and career in Ca Mau .

PHOTO: DAO MINH TUAN

During a business trip to the southernmost part of the country, I had the opportunity to eat crab blood soup and heard an old fisherman from that coastal region recount: In the old days, during his expansionist journey, Lord Nguyen and his entourage traveled throughout the rivers, canals, and seas of the far south day after day. When the drinking water on the boat ran out, and they couldn't return or stop at an island to get fresh water, in times of difficulty, ingenuity often emerges.

The royal kitchen staff of the Nguyen dynasty came up with the idea of ​​breaking off crab claws and collecting the fluid inside to drink. At that time, the rivers, canals, and coastal areas of the far south were teeming with shrimp and crabs. And strangely, the salty-sweet taste of the crab claw fluid was easier to drink than seawater, and it wasn't fishy.

PHOTO: DAO MINH TUAN

And then, the royal chefs (cooks for the king) skillfully adapted the crab's bodily fluids to create a delicious dish during their quest for exotic meals. And that's how crab blood soup was born.

Whether it's true or false is difficult to determine, but we do know that crab blood pudding is now included in the culinary repertoire of Vietnam, particularly Hue cuisine. The crab used for blood pudding must be sea crab, and it's best to choose crabs with roe for a delicious, sweet, and nutritious dish.

To make a regular plate of crab blood soup, one needs 3-4 large crabs, each weighing around 700 grams to 1 kilogram.

But that's not all, because crab blood cannot be preserved like duck or pork blood soup, so people have to prepare the ingredient from another crab beforehand. The crab is briefly boiled, and a little rice wine is added during boiling... to give the crab meat a fragrant aroma.

PHOTO: DAO MINH TUAN

When the crab is cooked, remove the crab meat, place it on a plate to cool, and the raw crab roe is whipped into a creamy consistency to remove the fishy smell and poured over the cooked crab meat. Next comes the most important step: draining the crab's blood.

The live crabs are thoroughly washed, then their four claws are tightly tied together with string. A sharp pair of scissors is used to make a clean cut. The white crab blood flows from the still-wriggling legs directly onto the plate of crab meat already containing bright red roe. The blood continues to trickle from the initial claws, forming a small stream, until it all flows out.

PHOTO: DAO MINH TUAN

After cutting one leg, cut the other leg. The crab blood always contains water; when the blood has coagulated, the water rises to the surface, and you must skillfully use a spoon to skim it off completely. It must also be accompanied by nine essential ingredients: herbs, banana blossom, bean sprouts, lime, chili, ginger, garlic, shrimp paste, crushed rice paper... and the herbs must be those grown in Hue to have the authentic aroma, arranged on the plate of crab blood soup.

PHOTO: DAO MINH TUAN

The crab blood solidifies and looks like jelly. Crab blood soup has a unique taste; the soft crab meat mixes with the crab blood, and the sweet, rich flavor of the crab roe adds a touch of flavor. When you add a little bit of the crab broth, you experience a salty-sweet mixture that easily evokes memories of eating boiled crab on the beach with seawater still clinging to your mouth and hands.

You should take a trip to Hue, known as the culinary capital, to enjoy the legendary crab blood pudding, a dish from the pioneering era of the Nguyen lords, now available in Hue's eateries and restaurants.