← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1 kg mutton or lamb ribs and shoulder on the bone, cut into chunks
• 1 Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 4 cm piece Ginger
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 Star anise
• 5 Cloves
• 4 cardamom pods, bruised
• 2 tbsp Ground coriander
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp Black pepper, coarsely ground
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 l Water
• 2 Potato, cut into chunks
• 2 Carrot, cut into chunks
• 2 Tomato, quartered
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 handful coriander or Chinese celery leaves, chopped
• 3 tbsp Crispy fried shallots
• 2 Lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Put the mutton in a pot of cold water, bring to the boil for 5 min, then drain and rinse. This keeps the soup clear and less gamey.
2. Blend the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste. Mix the ground coriander, cumin, fennel, pepper and turmeric with a few spoons of water.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and cardamom for 1 minute. Add the onion paste and fry for 4 min, then the spice paste for 2 min until fragrant.
4. Add the mutton and stir to coat, then pour in the 2 litres of water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 75 min, until the meat is very tender.
5. Add the potatoes, carrots and salt and simmer for 20 min more, then the tomatoes for the last 5 min. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
6. Ladle into bowls and top with coriander and crispy shallots, with lime to squeeze over. Serve with bread or roti canai for dunking.

Tips

• A pressure cooker cuts the simmering to about 30 min. Skim the fat off the top before adding the vegetables if you like a lighter broth.
• Mamak stalls also make it with oxtail (sup ekor) or beef bones (sup tulang): same spices, same method.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Meatmen Roti n Rice