Ingredients
- 250 grams beef shank
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ nutmeg, crushed
- 5 cm cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 tomato, quartered
- Salt, to taste
- Fried shallots, for garnish
- 4 carrots
- 2 potatoes
- ¼ cabbage
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 scallions
- 1-1.5 liters water
- A bit of cooking oil for sautéing
- Mushroom stock powder, to taste (optional)
Instructions
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Prepare the Beef:
- Rinse the beef shank thoroughly. In a pot, heat a small amount of water until it boils, then add the beef. Boil briefly and discard the water to remove impurities.
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Cook the Beef:
- In a clean pot, bring 1-1.5 liters of water to a boil. Add the beef shank, salt, and ground pepper. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently to extract more flavor from the beef and create a rich broth.
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Prepare the Spice Paste:
- While the beef is simmering, grind the garlic and nutmeg together into a fine paste. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and sauté the garlic-nutmeg paste along with the thinly sliced onion until golden brown and aromatic.
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Add Spices and Vegetables:
- Transfer the sautéed mixture to the pot with the beef. Add the quartered tomato, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods. Continue cooking until the beef is tender and fully cooked.
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Prepare the Vegetables:
- Wash and cut the carrots, potatoes, cabbage, celery, and scallions into bite-sized pieces.
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Finish the Soup:
- Once the beef is tender, add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. After about 7 minutes, add the cabbage. Adjust the seasoning with salt and, if desired, mushroom stock powder. Cook for an additional 2 minutes before adding the celery and scallions. Turn off the heat.
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Garnish and Serve:
- Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with fried shallots for a crispy, flavorful garnish.
Enjoy this comforting and aromatic beef shank soup, perfect for warming up on a chilly day or impressing guests with a hearty meal!