Kaeng Jeut are one of the three main types of soup commonly found in Thailand. The name means bland soup. This soup is another Thai dish with a Chinese influence. Since these soups are not highly flavored, be sure to use a good-quality stock.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 280 g/10 oz small squid
- 2 cilantro (coriander) roots, finely chopped
- 3-4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 280 g/10 oz ground (minced) pork or chicken
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 liters/70 fl oz/8 cups vegetable stock
- 2.5 cm/1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 tablespoon preserved radish, sliced
- 5 scallions (spring onions), slivered, for garnish
- A few cilantro (coriander) leaves, for garnish
- Ground white pepper, for sprinkling
Method:
To clean each squid, grasp the squid body in one hand and pull away the head and tentacles from the body. Cut the head off the tentacles just above the eyes and discard the head. Clean out the body. Pull the skin off the squid and rinse well. Drain well.
Using a pestle and mortar, pound the cilantro roots and garlic into a paste. In a bowl, combine the cilantro paste with the pork or chicken and the salt and pepper.
Spoon some mixture into a squid sac until two-thirds full, being careful not to overfill it as the filling will swell during cooking. Squeeze the squid tube closed at the end. With a bamboo stick or sharp toothpick, prick several holes in the body of the squid. Place on a plate and repeat with the rest. Use a spoon or wet fingers to shape the remaining meat mixture into small balls about 1 cm/½ inch in diameter.
Heat the stock to boiling point in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and add the ginger, light soy sauce and preserved radish. Lower the meatballs into the stock, then gently drop in the stuffed squid and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes or until the meatballs and squid are cooked. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Garnish with scallions and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle with ground white pepper.