Napa cabbage soup recipe How to prepare
Napa cabbage soup recipe
Ingredients for Squid Soup
o 1 lb. pork soup bones
o 5 cups water
o 1 lb. medium- to large-size squid
o 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, freshly ground
o 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
o 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro roots, or substitute with bottom stems
o 1/3 lb. shrimp
o 1/4 lb. ground pork
o 2-3 Tbs. fish sauce (nahm bplah), to taste
o 4 cloves chopped garlic browned in 2-3 tsp. peanut oil
o 1 1/2 cups oyster mushrooms, or substitute with brown mushrooms
o 4 cups Napa cabbage cut into bite-size pieces, or substitute with
cabbage, bok choy or summer squash
o 2 green onions, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch segments
(use both white and most of green parts)
o 1/4 cup cilantro sprigs
o 2 tsp. preserved Tianjin vegetables (dtahng chai) – optional
o 1 tsp. sea salt
o 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
Place soup bones in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a slow
boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and
simmer partially covered for 40 minutes or longer. Simmering over
low heat yields a clearer and sweeter soup; spoon off foam occasionally.
In the meantime, clean and skin the squid. Leave in whole tubes. Rinse
and drain well.
Pound the white peppercorns, garlic and cilantro roots/stems with
a mortar and pestle to form a well-blended paste. Shell and chop the
fresh shrimp finely; mix with the ground pork, garlic-pepper paste
and 1 Tbs. of fish sauce. Mix well and stuff loosely into the squid
about 3/4 full – do not stuff too tightly as squid shrinks when cooked.
Brown the chopped garlic in a little oil in the rounded bottom of
a wok. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool. Leave the small caps
of oyster mushrooms whole and cut the larger caps into pieces of similar
size, using the stems also. If substituting with brown mushrooms,
slice into 1/4-inch pieces. Prepare the Napa cabbage (or bok choy
or squash), green onions and cilantro.
When stock is ready, remove the bones. Flavor broth with preserved
Tianjin vegetables, sea salt and fish sauce to the desired saltiness.
Bring to a boil over high heat and drop the stuffed squid gently into
the hot broth. Return to a boil, then simmer about 5 minutes over
low to medium heat. If thereFs any pork-shrimp mixture left, form
into small bite-size balls and drop into the broth along with any
squid tentacles. Add the Napa cabbage. Cook another 5 minutes and
follow with the mushrooms. Continue to simmer a few minutes more until
the vegetables are tender.
Fish the stuffed squid out from the broth and slice at a slanted angle
into 1/2-inch thick ovals. Return to the soup and add the green onions.
Just before serving, spoon in the browned garlic pieces with some
of the oil and stir in the white pepper and cilantro. Ladle into individual
serving bowls.
Serves 8 with rice and other dishes in a shared family-style meal.
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