Sup Kambing ( Mutton Soup)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Sup Kambing, literally translated, is Soup Mutton in Malay. It is one of my all time favourite soups. I've had this recipe which I've been sitting on forever, not because I didn't have the gumption to go through the whole long-winded process of cooking, but because I couldn't find the key ingredient ie, mutton ribs for the soup stock.
Before you roll your eyes, you must understand that the average Dutch person is not so keen on lamb in general. Not only is it scarce in supermarkets, it's also expensive. So you can imagine my childish joy when a halal butchery opened up for business last month. As the name implies, all the meats sold are halal and as mutton is one of the staple meats in muslim diet, I couldn't enter the shop fast enough. Since it's opening, I've been a bit of a regular, having bought mutton for satay and the likes.
So, this morning, after exchanging niceties ( the butcher is Turkish, I think), I ask for 1.5kg of mutton ribs. He looks abit quizzical but is too polite to question. As it is, I'm a bit of an oddity around the neighbourhood, let alone in a muslim butchery. But I don't care, I haven't had Sup Kambing in years and I'm determined by hook or by crook to down some for dinner tonight.
The original recipe calls for sheep trotters too, which the butcher had. However, being health conscious, I decide to substitute with lean mutton instead of the artery clogging trotters. The other reason was because I couldn't bring myself to ask for them - the butcher might think I want them for some voodoo ritual.
If it wasn't for my pregnancy-like craving, I wouldn't have bothered with this. It's just too much work - what with all the chopping and pounding. In the end, I cheated and used a blender instead. Hey, you would too if you had 14-16oz worth of shallots, garlic, ginger and nutmeg to pound!
Anyway, 5 hours, 2 huge bowls and 1 crusty roll later, here I am, typing this, completely satisfied. It was so, so GOOD and it gave me a warm sensation all over, akin to putting on your favourite sweater on a wintery morning.
Oh, and Dad, if you're reading this, do you remember the times when you took the family to Farrer Park for Sup Kambing? *smile*
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 12:23 pm
