Bali Soups

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Gedang Mekuah
( Green Papaya Soup )

If you prefer to eat your papayas ripe and golden, you could try making this soup with any summer squash or Chinese winter melon instead. ##

1 unripe papaya, weighing roughly 750 g (11/2 lb)
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
1 cup vegetable spice paste for vegetables
2 salam leaves
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
1/4 teaspoon powdered white pepper
1 teaspoon salt fried shallots to garnish

Peel the papaya, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice the papaya lengthwise in 4 or 6 slices, then slice crosswise in slices about 0.5 cm (1/4 in) thick. Heat stock, add spice paste and bring to the boil. Simmer 2 minutes, then add the salam leaves, lemon grass and papaya and simmer gently until the papaya is tender. If the stock reduces too much, add more. Season to taste with pepper and salt and garnish with fried shallots.

Helpful hint : To save time, you can use chicken stock cubes in place of home-made chicken stock, although the taste will be nowhere near as good.

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The Recipes

Cram Cam
( Clear Chicken Soup with Shallots )

This dish is traditionally prepared after a cockfight, when the winner receives the losing chicken as a reward. ##

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
1/2 cup spice paste for chicken
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 salam leaf
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised 400 g (13 oz) boneless chicken, skin removed and minced salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fried shallots

Bring chicken stock to the boil in stockpot. Wrap chicken spice paste and black pepper into piece of cotton cloth and tie with string. Add this together with the salam leaf and lemon grass to soup and sim- mer for 10 minutes. Add minced chicken and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove spice paste bundle from. the soup and discard. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fried shallots.

Helpful hints: You can save time by buying minced or ground chicken. Wrapping the spice paste in a cloth will ensure that the soup is clear.

 

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The Recipes

Soto Babat
( Clear Tripe Soup )

  
This is usually served with Sambel Tomat as a contrasting condiment. The sugar cane is used to help soften the tripe ramfer than to add any sweet- ness to the soup; if this is not available, the cooking time will be slightly longer. ##

600 g (1/4 lb) beef tripe, cleaned and washed well
3 litres (12 cups) water
1 litre (4 cups) beef stock
5 cm (2 in) sugar cane stem, split lengthwise (optional)
2,5 cm. (1 in) ginger, peeled and sliced lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
200 g (6 1/2 oz) giant white radish, peeled and diced in 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes
5 sprigs celery leaf, chopped
1 tablespoon fried shallots

Rinse tripe well under running water until very clean. Bring water to boil in a large pan, add tripe and simmer until soft (approximately 1 hour). Strain water and cool tripe in ice water. Cut in pieces approximately 2,5 cm x 1 cm (1 in x 1/2 in). Bring beef stock, sugar cane, ginger, garlic and vinegar to boil. Add tripe and radish. Simmer until vegetables are soft. Garnish with celery leaf and fried shallots.

Helpful hints: Any type of summer squash or Chinese winter melon can be used instead of giant white radish (Japanese daikon). This soup reheats well.

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The Recipes

Jukut Kakul
( Snail Soup )

  
The French aren't the only ones to have a liking for snails. The Balinese gather snails in the rice fields, but you can use the canned variety. Cucumber, zucchini or any other summer squash can be used instead of green papaya. ##

200 g (6 1/2 oz) unripe green papaya
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
1/2 cup spice paste for seafood
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
2 salam leaves
1 tablespoon oil
48 canned snails, washed and drained
1 teaspoon salt freshly ground black pepper
fried shallots to garnish

Peel the papaya, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, then cut it lengthwise in 4 or 6 slices. Cut crosswise into slices about 0.5 cm (1/4 in) thick. Combine stock, spice paste, lemon grass, salam leaves and oil in a large pot. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the papaya and simmer until almost tender. Add the snails and continue cooking until the papaya softens. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fried shallots.

Helpful hint : If you do not care for snails, you can substitute 12 dried black Chinese mushrooms, washed and soaked in warm water for 20 minutes. Add them together with the papaya to ensure they will be tender by the time the papaya is cooked.