Indonesian Mutton Soup

Indonesia grows goats rather than sheep, yet "mutton' was the meat of choice in the wet market of Little India in Singapore, so I can only assume that this delicious, curry-like soup can be made from either lamb or goat meat. The recipe is courtesy of Mrs. Devagi Shanmugam of the Thomson Cooking Studio. Find more recipes and read about Dave DeWitt's Singapore trip in the article Singapore Fling By Dave De Witt

Ingredients

5 small green chillis, stems removed

5 small red chillis, stems removed

2 pounds lamb or goat meat, cubed

3 quarts water

2-inch piece of ginger, peeled

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 teaspoons anise seed

2 teaspoons cumin seed

5 cardamoms (or 2 Tablespoons car-damom powder)

3 cloves

3 tablespoons coriander seed 1 stick cinnamon

1 star anise 5 bay leaves

1 cup fresh mint leaves

4 pieces lemon grass, crushed

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 curry leaves (optional)

1 cup water

4 tomatoes, diced 2 sticks cinnamon 3 cardamoms

5 doves

5 tablespoons vegetable oil Spring (green) onions for garnish

3 teaspoons rice flour for thickening (optional)

 

Instructions

Put the mutton in the water in a pot. In a food processor, coarsely grind together the next 16 ingredients along with the cup of water. Using a strainer, strain this mixture into the pot with the mutton. Save the residue, tie it up securely in a muslin or cotton cloth, and add it to the pot.

Fry the tomatoes, cinnamon, cardamoms, and cloves in the oil until the tomatoes are soft, and add the mixture to the pot.

Boil the soup until the mutton is tender and nearly falls apart. Remove the spice bundle, thicken the soup with rice flour if necessary, and garnish with the spring onions.  Serve the soup with Nasi Kunyit ( recipe).