from the bean curd wrapper that we bought last Sunday, we also bought a pack of dried bean curd sticks. These are the yellow sheets that one usually finds in Chinese soups. I have seen them in supermarkets but was afraid to buy them since there are no English instructions on the packages on how to use and prepare them. But the salesgirl in the oriental store we visited last Sunday was quite helpful. So, I decided to give these dried bean curd sticks a try. A chunky soup with meat and vegetables would be good. I “invented” this recipe in the midst of helping out a friend with her 10-year-old’s homework.
I was doing my daily reading when a friend sent a SMS asking if she could come over; she needed help with her son’s homework. Their computer was in the shop and they didn’t have an internet connection anyway, so… I said okay. The homework was to find–online–the names of the mayors and vice mayors of all the cities and municipalities in Metro Manila. My friend’s kid goes to La Salle Antipolo and I said, “So, is La Salle requiring all its grade school students to have access to the internet now?”
Anyway, in the midst of surfing for the information–and the complete info was not available in any singular site–our househelp was asking what meat should be brought out of the freezer, what vegetables needed to be prepared and a dozen other things. Well, this dish was the result of all that. Heck, it’s an excellent soup. Chunky and filling, we had it for dinner–with no rice.
Ingredients :
For the broth :
400 g. slab of beef brisket
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion
4-5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
salt
To complete the soup :
1/2 head of cabbage
1 large carrot
2 dried bean curd sticks
1-1/2 c. of mushrooms–I used abalone–diced or sliced (if using dried mushrooms, soak them first in water before slicing or dicing)
1 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic
1 onion, sliced thinly
salt, sugar and pepper
1 tbsp. of cooking oil
How to :
Place the slab of beef in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Pierce the garlic in several sections with a sharp pointed knife. Add the garlic, whole onion, peppercorns and bay leaf to the beef. Set over high heat and bring to a boil, skimming off the scum as it rises. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 2 hours. Add more water as the meat simmers; you will need about 8-10 c. of meat broth to complete this dish.
Alternatively, pressure-cook the beef, which is what I did.
Meanwhile, soak the dried bean curd sticks in water to soften.
When the meat is tender, transfer it to a plate and allow it to cool completely. Slice the beef as thinly as you can. If the meat crumbles, chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm it up. Cut each slice into strips about 1/2″ wide. Set aside.
Strain the beef stock.
Prepare the vegetables. Core the cabbage and shred. Peel the carrot and julienne. Cut the softened bean curd sticks into strips about 1/2″ wide.
Heat the cooking oil in a casserole. Saute the garlic and sliced onion until fragrant. Add the carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, bean curd and meat–in that order–without stirring after each addition. Pour in the meat stock until all the ingredients are submerged in liquid. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir several times. Season with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of sugar (a little sugar does wonders to a vegetable soup). Simmer for another minute. Ladle into a soup tureen. Crack an egg onto the soup.
To serve, stir the soup to break the egg.
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