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+rss = "An easy template for making savory soup from green leaf vegetables"
+date = Date(2022, 9, 11)
+tags = ["lyf", "recipe"]
++++
+
+# Green Leaf Soup
+
+At the time of writing, I am sharing a kitchen with around 40 people
+from all parts of the world.  Very often, someone asks me to share
+a recipe from my cuisine, and I usually have to decline, blaming
+the lack of fresh ingredients,[^fresh] while I can only afford to shop
+for groceries weekly.  While most Vietnamese dishes call for fresh meat
+(I can only buy refrigerated one), in certain case it doesn't really matter.
+One quick dish that could tolerate days-old meat is a soup of green leaf
+vegetables.
+
+Back when I was still at home, a meal almost always consists of a soup.
+When we are about to finish a bowl of rice, we mix in the soup to wash
+all of the gelatinized starch (in to our mouth).  The soup could be
+anything from boiling vegetable broth to [vine spinach] and jute soup
+with crab juice.  In that range of difficulty, I would rate the following
+recipe somewhere in the lower middle.
+
+## Ingredients
+
+For a vegetable soup, of course you need a lot of veggie.  As much
+as you can eat.  I would recommend at least two handful per serving[^amount]
+of any [Brassica] leafs, e.g. mustard greens, spoon cabbage
+or regular cabbage.[^alt]  The greener the plant the less starchy it is
+and the better it blend with the umami of the meat.
+
+As for the animal product, minced or ground pork is a common choice.
+Minced chicken, fish or dried shrimp also works, but IMHO beef, lamb
+or goat could overpower the veggie.  Meat is not the star of the show
+and should be used moderately, 50 grams[^imperial] would be generous.
+There is no vegan variation of this dish AFAICT, except for
+reducing to just water, leafs and seasoning, but even a child
+could cook that without a recipe.
+
+In addition, a shallot is required for searing and [fish sauce] for seasoning.
+It is OK-ish to use onion in place of the shallot,[^onion] though I am not
+a fan of using soy sauce in this dish.  Super salt (table salt and MSG 9:1 mix)
+is a better substitution in case you can't get your hands on *the* signature
+Vietnamese seasoning.
+
+Last but not least, it would not be a soup without water.
+A cup should be enough to emerge the cooked veggie.
+
+## Preparation
+
+First, wash and slice the vegetable and throw it in a colander
+to let the water rinse of.  Next, chop the shallot *thinly*.
+
+If you bought minced or ground meat, you are done preparing.
+Otherwise, it's mincing/grinding time, duh!
+
+## Cooking
+
+Turn the stovetop to medium high and put on a stainless steel pan or pot.
+Doesn't have to stainless steel, anything smooth without a polymer coating
+would do.  Pour in a touch of cooking oil (or a tiny spoon of lard)
+and start sautéing the shallot.
+
+As soon as the pot is hot enough, immediately add the meat (don't wait
+for the shallot to turn golden brown, the slices are thin enough to
+be caramelized as the meat is seared).  You don't need to stir since
+we don't need evenly cook it right now, but don't let it stick together.
+Use a spoon or a scraper to break it up and press it down for faster searing.
+
+If you have fish sauce, pour it in after the meat finishes browning
+to develop even more flavor for a few seconds.  Then, deglaze the pot
+using water and bring it to a boil.  Throw the leafs into the pot
+and get the water boiling again.  In case you use salt for seasoning,
+now is time to sprinkle it in the soup.  Let it cook for another
+two or three minutes (radiant or thermal conductive coil could be
+switched off and maintain the heat for that duration) and it's ready to serve!
+
+[^fresh]: *Good* Vietnamese food I grow up eating are always from the freshest.
+[^amount]: From now on, the amount of each ingredient is listed for one serving.
+[^alt]: Out side of the genus, [rau ngót] is awesome if available.
+[^imperial]: Or about a dozen bullets in eagle and burger unit.
+[^onion]: Not a whole onion, but around the size of your thumb per serving.
+
+[vine spinach]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basella_alba
+[Brassica]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica
+[fish sauce]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_sauce#Vietnam
+[rau ngót]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauropus_androgynus