SIMPLE SUNDAY WITH VIETNAMESE CHAO THIT BO' AKA MOI SUP / BEEF PORRIDGE

This is another dish that you can find in almost every South East Asia country. It's a beef porridge. Cháo, or rice congee serve with beef soup, the soup contains a handful of rice which acts as a thickener for the flavorful  beef broth. In Malaysia especially the Northern it was called Moi Soup. 

I made my usual beef broth in the same manner as I would to prepare beef soup. I added oxtail bones,beef belly, beef chunks ginger and onions. I cooked the porridge separately. Once the porridge ready, I spooned the porridge in a bowl, cut the beef chunks and beef belly topped on the porridge. Add some salts eggs, chopped green onions, radish pickles, cilantro with some fried shallots, then only pour in the soups. If you love something hot and spicy then serves with chili oil...mama..mia this is absolutely delicious. In Penang there used to be a Malay stall near Meriam Timbul somewhere near the Penang Port Jetty sold very good Moi Soup, I believe they have shifted somewhere which I couldn't locate it..it's really...really tasty ..so chao thit bho or moi soup starts my lovely Sunday today.

Chao  Thit Bho / Moi Sup / Beef Porridge

For the Soups

6-¼ to 6-½ quarts water

1 dozen beef knuckle bones (the more, the sweeter the broth will be)

1 dozen oxtail bones

1 yellow onion, peeled

1 (6-inch) chunk fresh ginger

2 carrots, trimmed and peeled

2 daikon radishes, trimmed and peeled

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

7 tablespoons kosher salt

1 chunk rock sugar (about 2 ounces) or (3 tablespoons granulated sugar), to taste

1 cinnamon quill

5 cardamon buds

3 anise star

5 cloves

1 soup pouch (sup bunjut)

For the Porridge/Congee

2 cups broken rice (see tips)

For Garnishing

1-½ pounds "outside" flank steak (or filet mignon), very cold

3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

3 tablespoons green onions, chopped

1-½ teaspoons black pepper, freshly cracked

1 cup chopped radish pickles

4 salted eggs quartered

1/2 cup fried shallots

Chili oil

Directions

Prepping the ginger:

Wash the whole unpeeled ginger and remove any dirt; pat dry. Cut about 2 inches of the ginger root. Peel the small piece with a paring knife, thinly slice it, then cut into long matchsticks. Set aside.

Bruise the rest of the ginger using a mallet to loosen the flesh and help release its flavor.

For the beef broth:

In a pot, soak the beef bones in about a quart of water with 1 tablespoon of salt (overnight preferably). Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the water. Rinse the bones under running water and set aside. This step is important to get clear broth before starting the long, slow cooking. 

Fill a 12-quart stockpot with 6-¼ quarts of water. Bring to a boil. 

Add the beef bones, oxtail bones, bruised ginger, fresh daikon, carrots and the whole yellow onion. Bring the liquid back to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Cook for 1-½ to 2 hours. Using a fine mesh strainer, regularly skim the impurities rising to the surface of the broth. Once the broth is cleared of any impurities, add salt and rock sugar. Bring to a roaring boil for about 30 minutes and cook until the broth is reduced by 1/3.

Check the seasoning. Add cinnamon quill, cardamon, anise star, cloves and soup pouch. Season with more salt (if necessary) and pepper. Adjust the sweetness of the broth. The amount of sugar varies with the amount of beef bones and vegetables.

Remove the beef bones, cover with cold water and set aside for about 15 minutes. (Note: The method used to ensure that the meat does not darken as the broth cools down is basically the same procedure as that used to keep vegetables a bright green color). Drain the water from the beef bones and refrigerate them until it's time to serve.

Let the broth come back to a boil for a last time, then remove the pot from the stove. The broth is ready!

If you're health conscious, you can remove the fat from the broth: Let the broth cool down to room temperature, plastic wrap the pot tightly and place the whole pot in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. The fat from the broth may pick up some other odors from the refrigerator if the container is not sealed properly. A layer of fat will form at the surface; it can be removed using a large spoon. You can skip this step by using a fine mesh strainer and regularly degreasing as the broth cooks.

Prepping the slices of flank steak:

You can ask your butcher to thinly slice it for you try to  get paper-thin slices.

Your other option is to place the whole piece of meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then thinly slice the meat using a sharp chef's knife.  Make sure to cut the meat perpendicular to the grain so the slices remain tender.

Preparing cháo:

Note: The key to a successful outcome is to prepare the bowls individually (no more than 2 servings at a time).

Wash and rinse the broken rice thoroughly in several water baths. Unlike basmati rice, no soaking time is needed. Drain as much water as possible.

Heat the oil in a non-stick, medium saucepan. Add thinly sliced shallots. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the shallots from burning, until the color is evenly golden brown. Transfer the shallots to a plate, leaving about 2 teaspoons in the saucepan.

Add ½ cup rice to the saucepan. The oil should coat all the grains. Add 2 cups of boiling-hot beef broth and stir occasionally. Bring the liquid back to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a gentle boil. Cook until the broth thickens like porridge. Add one reserved oxtail bone and a few ginger matchsticks. Depending on the consistency you like, you could add more beef broth to thin out the soup. Adjust seasoning.

Assembly time:

Add the green onions and cilantro to the saucepan. Bring to a full boil one more time, then add about 3 tablespoons of the sliced raw flank steak. As soon as the beef slices are in the broth, transfer the beef rice soup (cháo thịt bò) immediately to 2 individual serving bowls so that the meat keeps a slightly pink color and remains tender (the meat will finish cooking from the heat of the soup).

Garnish with the reserved caramelized shallots, more cilantro and a sprinkle of freshly cracked pepper.

Serve immediately. You could drizzle the top with a little nước mắm (fish sauce) if you like.

Tips

Coating the individual grains of rice in oil prevents them from sticking to one another.

I purposely do not salt the broth at the beginning but wait to add salt and sugar until the bones and beef shanks are fully cooked.

Daikon (củ cải trắng in Vietnamese) is an Asian radish that looks like a large white carrot. I use this root a lot for making broth. Both the carrots and daikons gives natural sweetness to the broth.

Chao Thit Bho adalah bubur daging bagi masyarakat Vietnam. Ianya merupakan sajian sarapan pagi yang amat digemari. Banyak dijual di tepi-tepi jalan. Kalau di Malaysia kita panngil bubur nasi daging atau di sebelah utara semenanjung ia lebih dikenali sebagai MOI SUP. Ini memang favourite saya. semasa tinggal di Penang selalu berkunjung ke Meriam Timbul..berhampiran dengan jetty Penang. Disitu terdapat satu gerai yang khusus menjual moi sup ini..cukup sedap..daging, tulang perut semua direbus sehingga empuk masak macam masak sup..Untuk moi sup ini rempah sup jangan letak terlalu banyak memadai jika letak empat sekawan dan sup punjut aje...cukup jika tidak keaslian moi sup ini akan hilang. Bubur nasi masak berasingan..bila sudah siap..sendukkan bubur, hiris daging, perut dan bahan-bahan daging nipis-nipis dan curahkan sup, taburkan lobak asin, telur masin, daun bawang, daun sup dan bawang goreng. Hidang bersama sambal...memang sedap....Inilah menu pagi ini..sup masak malam semalam..lebih sedap dan lebih sebati jika dibuat supnya lebih awal.

Next Post -MY 1001 Entry Special