Beehoon Sup Kambing, WITHOUT the Kambing (lamb)

Sup kambing/ayam (lamb/chicken) & sup tulang (bones-usually beef), made the Malay style is characterised by a myriad of spices, namely kulit kayu manis (cinnamon), bunga lawang (star anise), buah pelaga (cardamon) & bunga cengkih (cloves). These are grounded into a paste in a certain proportion. But nowadays you can buy it grounded & prepacked (in small packets, if its to try out) : the variants include rempah sup tulang & perencah sup (Adabi brand).


But cooking with lamb or beef is high in cholesterol & the soup is usually full of animal (saturated) fat. Chicken has less flavour but also less fat. Normally, a chicken cube (packet seasoning) is added to add more taste artificially!


Why not try my version:

Ingredients:

SPICES:
1" (2cm) stick of kayu manis (cinnamon)
2 buah pelaga (cardamon)
3 bunga cengkih (cloves)
2 parts of bunga lawang (star anise- break off 2 'petals' only)

1 large red onion (coarsely chopped)
1 teaspoon of grated (old) ginger
1 clove of garlic (chopped)

1 small potato (peeled & cut angularly)
1 small carrot (peeled & cut angularly)
3 tablespoons of black eye beans
1 firm tomato (not too ripe - quartered)

1 tablespoon of perencah sup (ground pre-pack spice)
3 sprigs of daun sup (local celery leaves- coarsely chopped )
Fried onion/shallots

1/4 packet of beehoon (dried, fine rice noodle) - Boil some water in a pot. Turn off fire. Soak the boohoon in the boiled water until soft. Turn it gently to ensure all strands are evenly blanched. Do not leave it unattended or soak too long. Just a few minutes. Drain in a colander or just dish out (shake off excess water) into a bowl.

Cili padi sauce - for extra spicyness & kick, you can make this simple sauce. Grind or pound 5 green cili padi with 1 clove of peeled garlic. Squeeze some lime (limau kesturi - calamansi) and add 2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce.

Method:
In a large pot, heat aprox. 2 tablespoons of oil & fry spices for a few minutes. Add onions, garlic & grated ginger. Fry till fragrant. Add 4 cups of boiled water. Bring to boil. Add in potatoes, carrot, beans & perencah sup. Wait for it to boil again. Then lower the fire to simmer & cook until potatoes & beans are soft. The beans will add some body to the soup.

Add tomatoes and bring to boil again. Add salt, pepper & a little sugar to taste. Make it a bit saltier & spicier, if you want to serve with beehoon (fine rice noodle).



You can serve it as a soup or on a bowl of fine rice noodles. Garnish with daun sup & fried shallots. Top with 1/2 teaspoon of cili padi sauce for extra spicyness.