Kiam Cai (Pickled Mustard) Soup

My friend - Lay Yin is looking for a simple recipe, who claimed that she likes to eat but is too lazy to cook. So I decided to post this for her and hope that she can impress her mom this weekend. Many people love Kiam Cai soup because its sourness is appetizing. One of the popular foods in BM - Yam Rice - is served with this soup, and they add some more pork inner organs, meat, and Chinese celery. They are a perfect match. Do you see there is a bowl of yam rice in the picture? That will be in my next post!!

Ingredients for the soup for 5~6 people.

1. 180g Kiam Cai (pickled mustard) - wash thoroughly, cut and soak in hot water to remove the pickling preservative as much as you can. Change the water once. The soaking timing might be varied as the saltiness level of Kiam Cai is not the same from different country origin. I used the one from Thailand, I soaked it for more than 1 hour. The one I used in Malaysia just needed 30 minutes, so, please adjust the soaking timing according to your preferred taste.

2. 400g pork bones
3. 1 medium (about 80g) Onion - cut to 1" inch slices
4. 1 medium (aboit 100g) tomato - cut to 4~6 pieces
5. 1 small piece (1 inch) ginger
6. 2/3 table spoon white pepper corn - crack with knife
7. 1 piece pickled plum (水梅/酸梅)- smashed
8. Few drops pickled plum syrup (optional, add to increase the sourness level)
9. Salt to taste (taste the soup before you add any salt)
10. 1500ml water, divided to 1000ml and 500ml.

Steps :

1. Boil the 500ml water, rinse the pork bones.
2. Boil 1000ml water, add in pork bones, kiam cai, onion, tomato, ginger and white pepper.
3. Return to boil, cook at low heat for 30 minutes
4. Add the pickled plum and continue to cook for another 20 minutes
5. Before turn off the heat, add salt and plum syrup to taste (remember to taste the soup before you add any seasoning to it)