Bowl of Beef and Eggplant Soup
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Beef & Eggplant Soup


Cambodia   -   Samlaw Machou Kroeung
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 soup
****
4 hrs
Yes		 An aromatically flavorful soup that's quite different from the standard American "beef soup". It's a little bit of a project, but it can be spread over three days: make kroeung paste, cook stock and beef, make soup. That last step goes very quickly.

3
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2
12
10
4
3
1
1
3
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3
1
4
2
1-1/2
3
2
3
1
15
1/2
1/4
T
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#
c
oz
oz
oz

t

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#
oz

T
T
T
T
T

t
t
Kroeung Paste (1)
---- Beef & Stock
Beef
Water
Onion
Carrot
Ginger Root
Cinnamon Stick
Peppercorns
Star Anise
--------
Chilis, large dry (2)  
Thai Eggplant (3)
Watercress bunch
Thai Chili (4)
Oil
Tamarind Paste (5)
Soy Sauce, light
Fish Sauce (6)
Palm Sugar (7)
Curry Leaves (8)
Salt
Pepper black
Do-Ahead:   -   (30 min)
  1. Make your Kroeung Paste if you don't already have it.
Beef & Stock:   -   (3-1/2 hrs - 30 min work)
  1. Trim BEEF of any excess fat but leave in one piece.
  2. Cut ONION in half lengthwise and cut thick crosswise. Cut CARROT into chunks. Slice GINGER ROOT thin. Mix all Stock items, including Beef. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 2-1/2 hours.
  3. Set Beef aside to cool. Strain Stock and defat it using your gravy separator. Add cold water as needed to make it up to 7 cups and set aside.
  4. When Beef is cool enough to handle tear about 14 ounces of it into shreds. Keep any left for another use or just eat it.
Prep:   -   (40 min)
  1. Soak CALIF. CHILIS in very warm water for about 1/2 hour. Use the back side of your prep knife to scrape off the pulp. Discard the skins and chop the pulp fine.
  2. Remove overly large stems from WATERCRESS and chop it coarse.
  3. Cut EGGPLANTS into bite size pieces and put in a bowl of water acidulated with citric acid or lemon juice until needed.
  4. Prep your Tamarind Paste if it's the solid kind (soak and strain).
  5. Split the THAI CHILIS lengthwise.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. Place 7 Cups Stock in a pot.
  2. In a skillet, heat OIL. Stir in Kroeung Paste, Chili Pulp and Thai Chilis. Fry stirring until the paste starts to darken slightly, then stir in Tamarind Paste and enough Stock (from the pot) to fully suspend it all. Mix it all up well and pour into the stock pot. Add Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Watercress and Sugar (if used). Bring it all to a boil.
  3. Stir in Beef Shreds and Eggplant. Season with Salt and Pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
  4. While soup is simmering Dry fry CURRY LEAVES until they crackle. Stir them into the soup.
  5. Serve hot.
NOTES:

  1. Kroeung Paste

    This popular Cambodian curry paste is made of all fresh ingredients. See our recipe for Kroeung Paste. That recipe makes a lot more than you need for this recipe, but it can be used in other recipes or frozen for future use.

  2. Chilis:

      Large dry California or New Mexico Chilis are fine. For details see our Chilis page.

  3. Eggplants:

      Use green and white Thai Eggplants if possible as they stay firmer than others when cooked. Otherwise Indian eggplants or if not that Asian or Italian. For details see our Eggplants page.

  4. Thai Chilis:

      may be red or green, either fresh or dry. Other hot chilis may be used. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  5. Tamarind:

      If your Tamarind is concentrate in a jar, use 3 T, or if it's block use about 3 T, soak and strain. For details see our Tamarind page.

  6. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  7. Palm Sugar:

      Asians tend to sweeten just about everything, often to the extent it's too sweet for Western tastes. I generally omit the sugar entirely.

  8. Curry Leaves

      These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use. If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. Use caution with how many you use, because some people don't like the resinous taste. For details see our Curry Leaves page.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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