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a bowl of Vietnamese crab cellophane noodles stir-fry (mien xao cua)
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5 from 1 vote

Miến Xào Cua (Vietnamese Stir-fried Glass Noodles with Crab Meat)

Miến Xào Cua (Crab Glass Noodles Stir-fry) is a traditional Vietnamese dish. It is incredibly delicious with the natural sweetness of crab meat, soft translucent glass noodles, crunchy vegetables, and refreshing lime fish sauce dressing.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Dish, Noodle and Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: crab glass noodles, mien xao cua
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 290kcal
Author: Sophie Pham

Ingredients

For The Noodle Stir-fry

  • 4.5 oz glass noodles (also called cellophane noodles)
  • 0.6 oz dried wood-ear mushroom
  • 0.2 oz dried shiitake mushroom
  • 10 oz crab meat (about 1 3/4 cup)
  • 2 oz bean sprouts (about 2/3-3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 cup julienned carrots
  • 3 tablespoons minced shallot, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
  • 2/3 cup chicken stock, divided
  • 1/4 cup scallions, cut into 2'' long pieces
  • black pepper
  • olive oil

For Lime Fish Sauce Dressing

  • 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
US Customary - Grams

Instructions

  • Soak cellophane noodles in water for 15-30 minutes until they become soft. You can speed it up by using warm water. Discard water, rinse noodles and set aside.
  • Soak dried wood-ear mushroom and shiitake mushroom in hot water for 5-7 minutes or until they are fully rehydrated. Remove stems and slice into thin strips. We need about ¾ cup sliced wood-ear mushroom and 2 tablespoons sliced shiitake mushroom.
  • Peel and julienne carrot. If you have time, pick and discard the yellow beans from beansprouts since we only need the white stems and it will make the final dish prettier, but it is completely optional.
    Crab Cellophane Noodles is a traditional Vietnamese dish. The dish is incredibly delicious with the natural sweetness of crab meat, soft translucent noodles, crunchy vegetables, and refreshing lime fish sauce dressing.
  • Whisk all ingredients to make the lime fish sauce dressing to combine and set aside.
  • Place a pan/skillet over medium high heat. When it's hot, add oil. Add 1 tablespoon of minced shallots and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add crab meat, stir and add 1-1½ teaspoon of fish sauce. Cook until crab meat is heated through and set aside.
    Crab Cellophane Noodles is a traditional Vietnamese dish. The dish is incredibly delicious with the natural sweetness of crab meat, soft translucent noodles, crunchy vegetables, and refreshing lime fish sauce dressing.
  • Add a generous amount of oil to coat the pan, then sauté the remaining minced shallots until fragrant. Add shiitake mushroom, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add wood-ear mushroom, carrot and 1 tablespoon of stock or water, and continue to stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Slightly reduce the heat and add noodles together with ¼ cup (60ml) of stock. Mix and cook for a minute. Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and mix. Gradually add stock by a couple of tablespoons while constantly mixing to cook the noodles for another minute or until it is almost soft to your liking. If the noodles start clumping while stir-frying, reduce the heat.
  • Add beansprout stems and quickly mix everything together for 30-60 seconds. Add crabmeat and scallions. Continue to mix and stir for about 30 seconds until noodles are soft and everything is cooked.
    Crab Cellophane Noodles is a traditional Vietnamese dish. The dish is incredibly delicious with the natural sweetness of crab meat, soft translucent noodles, crunchy vegetables, and refreshing lime fish sauce dressing.
  • Once everything is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Transfer to serving plates right away and sprinkle a lot of black pepper on top. Serve hot with the lime fish sauce dressing.

Video

Notes

This recipe has been revised on 1/12/2021. In the original recipe, I suggested 8 oz of crab meat and 4 oz of thinly sliced pork. The pork will be sautéed with minced shallots and some fish sauce until 90% cooked after sautéing the crabmeat (Step 5). You will then continue to sauté the vegetables and cook the noodles as in Step 6. 
Here are some advantages when you add some pork slices:
  • Make the dish more economical since you will need to use less crabmeat.
  • You may use water instead of chicken stock since the pork will release its own juice and compensate for the lack of stock/broth.
The exact amount of stock used will vary depending on the noodles. Just add enough to cook the noodles soft to your liking. It is best to use Vietnamese or Chinese cellophane noodles (also called glass noodles). Korean glass noodles will be too chewy for this dish.
As for mung bean sprouts, someone who is very particular about this dish will pick out and discard all the yellow small beans. We only need the crunchy white stems, but if you don't have time for this, no need to do this step.
You should use a large pan or skillet to make this dish. Otherwise, cook in batch to avoid crowding the pan with too much food. A nonstick pan will make it easier for you to handle the noodles. A stainless steel pan is usable too but there will be some sticking.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1675mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3670IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg