Vegetable soup with shrimp – Udang dan Sayuran Kuah

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 180 g water
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs, dried
• 80 g basmati rice
• 100 g shrimp, raw, peeled, frozen
• 4 small onions, red
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 10 g spice lily (aromatic ginger)
• 1 m.-large pak choi
• 60 g carrot(s)
• 40 g cauliflower florets
• 1 leaf of white cabbage
• 350 g water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, light
• 2 tbsp sauce (bulgogi sauce)
• 1 tsp paste (XO paste, see note)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Like all Kua dishes, this soup is served with rice. Recipe from Lombok, Indonesia.

For the rice, bring the water to a boil, dissolve the oyster sauce in it, stir in the herb mix and the washed basmati rice. Simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the rice mature for 30 minutes without opening the lid. Defrost the shrimp in their packaging. For the vegetables, trim both ends of the onions and garlic cloves, peel them, and roughly chop them. Peel the lily of the valley and cut it crosswise into thin slices. Remove the leaves from the bok choy, remove the white parts, and cut them crosswise into approximately 2 cm pieces. Cut the green parts lengthwise and crosswise into approximately 2 cm pieces. Cut the washed and peeled carrot crosswise into approximately 3 mm thick slices. Remove the cauliflower florets from the outside, including approximately 3 cm of the stem, and rinse thoroughly. Wash the white cabbage leaf and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Place all the ingredients for the broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Heat the sunflower oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onions, garlic cloves, and lily of the valley and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the white parts of the bok choy, the carrot slices, the cauliflower florets, and the white cabbage pieces and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the broth and add the shrimp along with the green parts of the bok choy. Simmer over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Serve with rice as a main course and enjoy. Note: There are two different XO pastes. The original from Hong Kong consists of fermented seafood (mainly silversides, small shrimp, squid, and mussels) in vegetable oil. It also contains umami spices. It has a fibrous texture, a deep brown color, and a fishy flavor with a moderate spiciness. The price is over €20 for a 220g jar. The Indonesian version contains the same animal ingredients but in a different composition. Its texture is crumbly, its color is deep dark brown, and its flavor is intensely fishy and umami with spices, primarily chili, garlic, and ginger. The price is less than 10 euros for a 200-g jar.