Northern Thai Mustard Greens Soup

Name: Northern Thai Mustard Greens Soup
Total time: 5400 s
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 kilogram flowering mustard greens; 1.1-1.3 pounds pork ribs; 0.7-0.9 pounds pork thigh; 1.5 sheets grilled fermented soybean sheets (sent by mom); 1.5 tablespoons shrimp paste; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 10 shallots; 8-10 cloves garlic (for the curry paste); 2 tablespoons tamarind juice; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1-2 tablespoons pounded Thai garlic (for the oil topping)

Kasama #RunawayHubbyKitchen @cook_4971800

I am from Chiang Mai but have been studying and working in Bangkok for many years... I started cooking about 2-3 years ago, and of course, my advisor was none other than "Mom." I remember the first Northern Thai dish I tried to make came from calling my mom for a simple Northern recipe with not too many ingredients. She suggested this... "Northern Thai Mustard Greens Soup."

When I followed my mom's recipe and tasted it, "Wow... this is just like mom's cooking!" The memories took me back to when our family would sit down for meals together. I remember as a child, I didn't like Northern Thai food at all. I can picture myself not eating this soup, and my mom having to fry pork or make an omelet so I would eat...

We might not often think about it, but a bowl of food, a spoonful of soup, can bring back old memories. Food helps convey love, longing, care, and family bonds, and it also reminds us to appreciate our hometown cuisine. Some dishes aren't available everywhere.

For me, this "Northern Thai Mustard Greens Soup" makes me see a silly kid who didn't know what delicious food was. It helps ease my homesickness and makes me proud of Northern Thai cuisine, which is truly delicious, so much so that I wanted to share it on Cookpad.

Kasama #RunawayHubbyKitchen @cook_4971800

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Ingredients

90 minutes

5 servings

1 kilogramflowering mustard greens
1.1-1.3 poundspork ribs
0.7-0.9 poundspork thigh
1.5 sheetsgrilled fermented soybean sheets (sent by mom)
1.5 tablespoonsshrimp paste
1 teaspoonsea salt
10shallots
8-10 clovesgarlic (for the curry paste)
2 tablespoonstamarind juice
3 tablespoonsvegetable oil
1-2 tablespoonspounded Thai garlic (for the oil topping)

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Steps

90 minutes

1

Use flowering mustard greens.
2

Break the greens into pieces about half a hand's length. Wash thoroughly in several changes of water and let them drain.
3

Prepare the curry paste first. Start by pounding the grilled fermented soybean sheets into a fine powder. Then add garlic, shallots, and shrimp paste. Set aside.
4

Clean the pork ribs and let them drain. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pork ribs, and a little sea salt.
5

Boil the pork ribs for about 40 minutes or until tender, skimming off any foam (reduce to medium heat). Then add the prepared curry paste to the pork broth. Bring to a boil again, then add the mustard greens.
6

Simmer gently until the mustard greens change color. Taste and add tamarind juice (you can add sugar or soy sauce if you like). The traditional flavor is mildly salty from the fermented soybean and shrimp paste, with a slight sourness. The sweetness comes from the greens and pork broth.
7

Authentic Northern Thai Mustard Greens Soup must have an "oil topping" (as mom says). Pound garlic, fry in oil until fragrant, then pour into the hot soup pot. Stir well, turn off the heat, and serve.
8

Fry 5-6 dried chilies. When serving, sprinkle with fried chilies.