2 1/2 qt water
2 lb pork bones
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 shallots or
2 scallions, chopped white part
1/2 lb crab meat, fresh, frozen, or canned
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in
2 tbsp water
1 egg
1 can (15 ounces) white asparagus, undrai, ned
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (chinese pa, rsley)
1/4 cup chopped scallion greens
Directions
The French introduced asparagus to the Vietnamese, who promptly
incorporated this classic vegetable into their cuisine. The
Vietnamese word for asparagus is "Western bamboo," due to its
resemblance to bamboo shoots. asparagus is universally popular
throughout Vietnam, this light, tasty dish will delight your family
as well.
Bring water to a boil and put the pork bones in. Remove the scum, then
cover and continue to boil the bones for 1 hour. Remove the bones
from the stock and discard. Add the salt and the fish sauce to the
stock.
Heat the oil and add the chopped garlic and shallots; add the crab
meat and fry for 5 minutes over high heat. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon
of black pepper, stirring constantly, then add the crab meat mixture
to the soup and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch-and-water
mixture and stir for a few minutes.
Break the egg open and drop it into the actively boiling soup while
stirring. Cook, still stirring, for about 2 minutes, then drop in the
asparagus, along with the liquid from the can and the rest of the
black pepper. Continue to cook until the asparagus is heated through.
Sprinkle the coriander and scallion green over the soup before
serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman,
Barron's, 1979.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; May 24 1993.
Servings: 6 servings
Asparagus Crab Soup (Sup Mang Tay Cua) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Crab; Fish; Seafood; Soup; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
It is possible to follow the history of `recipes` far back into ancient history, certainly as far back into recorded history as the Egyptians, and maybe further still. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these ancient cookbooks were just primitive hieroglyphic instructions for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics are some stone tablets in the Sumerian language which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a number of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into appetizers, main course and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius also informs us how the cooks of his times were skilled in the use of a good variety of aromatic flavours, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as basil, mint and parsley. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new spices and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices like coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and spices led to a torrent in recipe publications, some of which still exist in academic collections. During the next few centuries, the wealthy families of Wesstern Europe tried to serve the most exotic banquets, and because of this the best chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and recipe publications really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collecting, trying out, and publishing popular recipes of the day. The revolution that is television brought us celebrity chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes such as those found on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Asparagus Crab Soup (Sup Mang Tay Cua) recipe.
