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Stories and recipes from a Malaysian home kitchen

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ABC Soup

Posted on October 23, 2020June 27, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on ABC Soup

When I feel under the weather, I automatically think of ABC soup, the comfort food of many a Malaysian Chinese household.

More so during this COVID pandemic period, when we should keep our immune systems as strong as possible. While some turn to supplements, I am focusing on using nutritious, immune system boosting ingredients that help me stay as healthy, something I learned from my parents.

My parents made ABC soup at least once every two weeks when I was growing up. It’s one-pot, delicious and nourishing to boot. Each parent had his/her own twist. Dad loved to boil it with pork rib bones. Mum would add loads of cracked white peppercorns.

There are many more variations. Some people add corn and red dates. (Not for me though. I feel that these ingredients make the soup overly sweet.) I’ve seen others adding lotus root, and so forth. But there are two variations that you may not have heard of.

*****If you prefer the classical version of ABC soup, stop reading now!*****

1. ADD PICKLED VEGETABLES

I learned this tip when I paid a visit to my friend Clare last year. In return for her hospitality, I offered to cook dinner and the menu included ABC soup. As I was about to finish cooking, Clare suggested adding some pickled vegetables, a condiment that she uses to make “ham choy thong” (salty vegetable soup). I was intrigued. How would it change the flavour of the soup? (PS Clare is a phenomenal cook. Am currently persuading her to share her chicken curry recipe right now!)

 

Turns out that the pickled vegetables add a sour “kick” to the soup, elevating it to almost tom yam like.

 

I loved it!!!

ABC soup is one of the most versatile soups around; you can add anything you like

2. ADD DRIED CUTTLEFISH

This idea was inspired by a dish that isn’t even a soup.

What happened was this: the other day, I saw my dad adding dried cuttlefish (“tiew phin” in Cantonese) to stir-fried asparagus. He first fried the cuttlefish briefly in oil to intensify its smokiness. Then I recalled some other Chinese soups, such as lotus root soup, that also employ this technique. So I thought, why not add it to my ABC soup?

So last week, I secretly added it without telling hubby to see if he’d notice the difference. He did – he commented the soup was sweeter and nicer than usual!

An important caveat – pickled vegetables and dried cuttlefish are strong-tasting ingredients so they may not work for everybody.

But if you like intense-tasting foods, you’ll enjoy the variation.

After all, cooking is meant to be fun and creative. I believe we don’t have to be too rigid with rules, as long as the food turns out delicious. Do let me know in the comments if you have your own special family techniques for ABC soup!

ABC Soup

As simple to prepare as its name implies, ABC soup is delicious and heartwarming, the ultimate comfort food.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Soup
Cuisine Malaysian

Equipment

  • Soup pot, frying pan

Ingredients
  

  • 5-6 cups water (start with 5, you can gradually add later if necessary)
  • 1 handful dried anchovies (ikan bilis), gutted and beheaded
  • 1 piece dried cuttlefish (Optional)
  • 1 bone-in chicken drumstick and thigh
  • 2 small carrots, cut into wedges
  • 1 medium-sized potato, cut into wedges
  • 1 ripe tomato, cut into wedges
  • 1/2 big yellow onion, sliced into wedges 
  • 2 pickled mustard leaves (or any pickled vegetables) + 1 tbsp of the pickled mustard juice (Optional)
  • Salt to taste and cracked white peppercorns
  • Oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat up a bit of oil and fry cuttlefish until it starts to be aromatic. Remove from heat. (See Recipe note 1)
  • Make the stock.
    Start by filling a soup pot with water, anchovies and cuttlefish, and bringing to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and boil for 45 minutes until flavours have been fully extracted. Discard anchovies and cuttlefish.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients - chicken, carrots, potato, tomato, onion, pickled mustard leaves and juice.
  • Boil for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables and chicken are soft enough. 
  • Add salt and white peppercorns. Serve!

Notes

  1. Alternatively, you can also bake the dried cuttlefish in the oven for a few minutes. Thanks for the handy tip, Olivia!
Keyword healthy cooking

For more heartwarming stews/soups, check out my Korean-style kimchi tofu stew.

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Chinese, Malaysian, One-pot meal, Side dish, Soups & Stews Tags:Chinese cooking, soup

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Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that go I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that good 😉 #granola #homemade #homemadegranola #cookwithipohbunny #granolarecipe #oats #wholefoods
"How's my burger?" "The flavour is quite good." "How's my burger?"

"The flavour is quite good."

Hubs' feedback stopped there, so I knew something was not right.

Know what I found out? That he and I have fundamentally very different concepts of what a good burger should be.

Having spent many years in the UK and US, his idea of a proper burger is a patty of mostly ground quality meat. Having grown up in Ipoh eating roadside budget burgers, my idea of a good burger is a moist patty that's much more tender inside because it's been stuffed with something called panade.

No, I didn't know what panade was either, until I Googled it up. Panade is bread soaked with milk, which you add to the meat to form a burger. The panade adds that oh so desirable moistness and juiciness to the burger. Yes, it won't taste as meat-dense as the meat-only burger patties that hubs is used to in the UK and US, but that's the taste I am used to. In fact, I find those meat-only burgers in high-end restaurants too beefy and meaty.

Anyway, here's how I made my burger

1. Cut up one slice bread into cubes. Add a 2 tbs milk to soak bread and crumble with fingers until it's mashed up like puree. This is your panade.
2. Dice up half a yellow onion finely. The acidity of the onion tenderises the meat.
3. Mix onion and panade with 250g minced beef ( you can add more if you want a beefier taste), salt, pepper, and enough egg to bind. Add egg slowly because you don't want too much liquid.
4. Shape into patties and panfry on both sides. Serve! :)

#homemadeburger #burger #hamburger #beefpatty #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #foodporn #meatlover #burgerrecipes
Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for my chicken char siew recipe. Either I took a damn good photo, or .. you guys really really want to eat chicken char siew lol.

Ok, I can't take credit for the recipe because I compared and picked bits and pieces off recipes by other people. Most of the ingredients are quite predictable - hoisin sauce, soy sauces, honey/sugar, 5-spice powder - but the one thing taht surprised me was the addition of lam yue or fermented red beancurd. I read that it lends a distinct umami that can't be replicated by other ingredients. Well, I just happened to have a bottle, so I put it in. 

This isn't perfect, but I'm jotting it down for future references.
1) Mix together 2 tbs hoisin sauce, 1 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tbs honey/agave, white sugar to taste, and a pinch of five-spice powder. I didn't measure, just agak2 only so please bear this in mind!
2) Add 1-2 cubes of fermented red beancurd along with a tsp of the sauce it's submerged in. Mix everything together and taste if it's sweet/savoury enough.
3) Marinate your chicken chop in the sauce for several hours.
4) Pan fry on both sides. Done!

Important notes:
1) This is one of the most variable sauces around. By that I mean, some people like it sweet, some less so. I say, just taste the sauce before you marinate your chicken and adjust accordingly. I don't like too sweet so I reduced the sugar.
2) Which may be why my chicken didnt' char siew in the oven, although I tried grilling it at 200 C, basting it with the sauce several times, etc. Maybe not enough sugar to caramelise properly, so i ended up pan-frying the chicken in my nonstick sauce pan. Kau tim!

#Chineserecipes #chickencharsiew #bbqchicken #Ipohbunnyyrecipes #cookwithipohbunny #chickenrecipes #chicken #Malaysianhomecook #Malaysianfoodblogger
Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️ Ser Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️

Seriously. One of the tastiest #vegan dishes you'll eat in your life - and so healthy! A restaurant favourite that can be easily recreated at home with just five ingredients, the crunchy freshness of just-cooked celery goes so well with the creamy cashew.

1. Remove the stringy outer layer of celery stems with a vegetable peeler.

2. Slice diagonally across each stem to get 
3/4 cm thick slices.

3. Heat up 1 tbs oil in non stick pan. Add celery and sear for 1 minute, before browning. Remove from pan. 

4. In same pan, add garlic (and more oil if needed) to saute. Add back celery.

5. Add 1 tbs (vegetarian) oyster sauce and 3-4 tbs water. Stir to mix the liquids.

6. Cover with a lid and steam for a few minutes till your desired doneness. The time will depend on how crunchy you want your celery. Less time, more crunchy. Just eat a piece of the celery to decide.

7. Toss in roasted cashews, stir to mix and dish up!

#veganchinesefood #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #celery #Chinesecooking #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarianrecipes
This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!! 1. S This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!!

1. Slice bittergourd into two length wise. Scoop out white pith and seeds. 
2. Slice bittergourd thinly. Rub with salt and leave aside for 15 min to remove bitterness. Wash off salt.
3. Boil salted duck egg for 10 minutes. Scoop out egg yolk and mash finely.
4. Heat up 1-2 tbs oil and lightly fry bittergourd slices for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
5. In same oil, add chopped garlic and mashed egg yolk. Cook until mixture starts to foam.
6. Add 1/4 cup water (or more) and stir to mix and create a sauce. May be a bit watery at this stage, so add water slowly.
7. Add a pinch of sugar.
8. Now add back bittergourd, toss through, cover with lid and cook over low flame to reduce sauce until it has thickened to your desired consistency. 
9. Serve with white rice :)

Psst if you want my steamed egg recipe, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxFGOKXiJg 

#cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #bittergourd #Chinesecooking #Malaysianhomecook
Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creat Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creative Chef @dan.giusti on @epicurious

Using @kawan_food roti malabar, egg, Zucchini and salt and pepper only.

Quick easy lunch :) 

#vegetarian #vegetariansnacks #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #puffpastry #vegetabletart
I smashed it!! My one and only #fudgybrownie rec I smashed it!!

My one and only #fudgybrownie recipe from now on. 

Cos it works

1/2 stick butter (60g)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
50-60g dark chocolate
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate.
2. Mix in sugar until sugar melts.
3. Whip egg until pale and frothy. Add to cream mixture.
4. Fold in flour, saltand cocoa powder.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Done!!

#brownie #brownierecipe #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #desserts
Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya legendary. At least according to hubby, who got this cake during his biz trip.

One bite of their famous butter cheese cake and I can understand why. Sooo fragrant and moist even after 3 days. Its buttery without being heavy, know what I mean? Good #baking kungfu, this. That addition of cheese gives it a subtle hint of umami that just takes this to another level. When you slice it, it looks like white sandwich bread because the crumb is quite dense, so interesting! 

Gonna eat this very sparingly.

#buttercake #eatcake #cake #kuchingfood #Sarawakfood #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger
I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
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