"Soup On"

     Hmm!!!  The smell of aroma in the air, a cinnamon, pickle spice, star anise, bay leaves, onion and garlic, you can taste it the air.   I saw your face when you enter into the house with eyes wide open and smile upon your face, “Noodle Soup tonight!!”  Ever since you are young this is your number one favorite food, a noodle babies…lol.

     Noodle is one of the most famous dishes in Asia.  In every corner of the street in our country, Thailand, you would always find noodle house restaurants everywhere.  There are many different kind of noodle soup.  But your favorite is regular rice noodle with beef and meant ball and add into that with spicy, sour, some sweet and little salt.  But to Jay, noodle soup cannot be complete without crushed peanut add into it, as same as I am.  We are the only two that love to eat peanut in the house. 

     I remember when we were young, noodle s soup in Thailand were only .04Cent a bowl with 3 meat ball in it, but now it about $1.50 or more in just a tiny bowl.  You have to order more than one bowl in order for you to be full.  You might thing, “Gosh!!,”  just $1.50, how cheap can she get?  To you $1.50 may seem nothing, but for Thai people it almost 30 bath and that is a lot of money for them.  I learned how to appreciate all the penny, nickel, dimes and quarter that drop all around the house, on the ground or on the parking lot at the shopping center that some may feel embarrassed to pick it up or just being over look.  Every little things can add up and when you add them up together, wow!!! They becomes a big number… It may took couple years, hey, in the years ahead it can be very precious and very useful.

      Since you love noodle soup so much and I’m not around to cook for you, so here I leave behind for you……”Noodle you own…”

      Ingredients;

      1.  1 packet of soup bone; beef, pork or turkey legs. 

      2.   Tender roast beef chuck cut in half, slice and marinate with oyster sauce 2-3 Tbsp, black      pepper and refrigerate until ready to cook .  The other half of the chuck is to be use for soup stock  with the soup bone.

     3.       1 large carrot or 2 small, cut into small pieces

     4.      1 large onion - cut (dice in pieces not to small)   

     5.      1 white radish root (cut into pieces)

     6.      3-4 cloves of garlic

     7.      1 large diced tomatoes

     8.      2-3 stems of cilantro root

     9.      4-5 star anise

    10.    1 tsp. pickle spice or all spice and 1 stick of cinnamon

    11.   3 chuck of palms sugar, or regular sugar, 3 Tbsp., or just taste as you desire.

    12.  Bag of meat ball (beef or pork)

In your large soup pot fill up more than ½ with water and bring it to boil.  Into that add all of the ingredients 1-10 into the pot and let it boil uncover.  When it boil add 1/2 cup of oyster sauce, 1 tsp. of chicken bouillon, 2 Tbsp. of  Dark sweet thick soy sauce (find in Asia market), add sugar and add a little of fish sauce at a time according to your taste .  Let it boil for few minute then cover and turn down heat on low and let it cook for 3 hours then add to that meat balls and allow meat balls to cook.

Need;

      1.      Fried chopped garlic from Asia store or make it yourself– 2 heads of garlic, peel and chop.  Cook the garlic in hot (light olive oil is the best), use about ½ c. of oil.  Cook until the garlic is light golden brown then removed from oil, but save the oil until the oil is cool down then you can pour the garlic back into the oil and save in container. This way it will prevent the garlic from being burn in hot oil.)

      2.    Fresh noodle (if use dry noodle – soak in warm water for 10-15 min and drain, set aside),

      3.      Fresh bean spouse

      4.      Chopped green onion and cilantro   

      5.      Remove out cook beef chuck in the soup and slice it and set it aside in bowl.

In another smaller pot, but large enough to place strainer into it, fill up with water and bring it to boil.  Place your noodle into the strainer and quick boil remove from water and place it into your bowl.  Quick boil your bean spouse as same as your noodle and pour it on top of your noodle.  Put the amount of sliced marinated beef in same strainer but this time boil it in the soup pot for few min and put in to your noodle bowl.  Add chopped green onion, cilantro and fry garlic with it oil.  Add soup stock to your bowl, now season your noodle soup with hot chili pepper, black pepper, lemon juice (vinegar can be replace if desire, but lemon juice is better), taste your soup to see if you need any salt if so add fish sauce into it and sugar if desire of little sweet. 

                                   
Dear Lord, we thank you for your blessing.  Thank you for all that you have done for us.  Thank you for your precious blood that you shade at Calvary.  Thank you for your mercy and great love that you shown to us.  With all my grateful heart to You heavenly Father, in Jesus I pray.