Sup kambing is a mutton soup popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. The meat is marinated in roasted spices, cooked with onion, ginger, and tomatoes, and served with side dishes like fried shallots and hot peppers. The spice blend includes ginger, cloves, pepper, cardamom, mace, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. The dish can be made with goat or lamb and is served with bread, rice, or alone in a bowl.
Sup kambing is a soup typically made of mutton, onions, tomatoes and a long list of spices which are roasted and made into a marinade paste. The dish is especially popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, where it can be found sold from street food stalls as a hot, filling meal. Basically the soup consists of mutton that has been marinated in roasted spices, cooked with flavorings like onion and ginger and then stewed in water or broth with some tomatoes. There are many variations on the basic recipe, with some including carrots, celery and cabbage, and others using a strong base of fried leeks for flavour. Traditionally, sup kambing is served with a variety of side dishes including diced shallots, fried onions, hot peppers, coriander, and crispy fried shallots.
The name “sup kambing” literally means “mutton soup”, although the type of meat used can vary slightly depending on the area, availability and definition of mutton. Classically, mutton is the meat of a lamb that is over 1 year old. Some areas, however, do not raise or track lamb in this way, and mutton in those areas is the meat of goats. The dish is meant to be made with a heavily flavored meat such as mutton or goat, but can be made with young lamb if the spices are carefully adjusted so as not to overwhelm the flavor of the meat. Any cut of mutton can be used, but parts such as ribs and necks are preferred due to the flavor imparted by the bones and tendons.
The first step in making sup kambing is to create a paste from the spices. The blend most often includes ginger, onions, cloves, pepper, cardamom, mace, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Some spices are first pan-roasted to bring out their flavors and oils, after which they are ground together to form a thick paste, normally with some water added. The spice mixture is then poured over the mutton and the meat is left to marinate for some time, usually overnight.
The marinated beef is then placed in a large, heavy pot along with any vegetables that will be used – often leeks, onions, carrots and celery – and then covered with water or a stout stock. The sup kambing can then simmer for several hours so that all the flavors come together and the meat cooks all the way through and becomes tender. Just before the end of cooking, the tomatoes are cut or quartered and added to the pot.
When done, sup kambing can be served with bread, rice, or by itself in a bowl. It is traditional to have a number of toppings available, especially fried shallots or fried onions which are crunchy and create some texture in the soup. Other side dishes may include scallions, chopped carrots or dried red pepper flakes.
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