Soup Number Five

A clear bull's testicle broth, with the preparation of the meat the whole of the work.

Not vegetarian — contains fish sauce, ox, testicles.

Ingredients

• 800 g bull's testicles
• 1 kg ox bones
• 100 g fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 star anise
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 litres water
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 4 siling labuyo

Method

1. THE PREPARATION OF THE MEAT IS THE WHOLE OF THE WORK. Slit the outer membrane and peel it away completely -- it is tough and will not soften in any amount of broth -- then soak the meat in several changes of cold salted water for 2 hours, squeezing it in each change. Skipped or hurried, the result is strong in a way nobody wants.
2. After soaking, blanch it 10 minutes in boiling water and throw that water away. Rinse the meat and the pot.
3. Make the broth separately and first: ox bones roasted at 220C for 30 minutes, then simmered with the water, ginger, onion, star anise and peppercorns for 2 hours 30 minutes, skimmed in the first 20 minutes.
4. Strain the broth through muslin. It should be clear and amber. This is meant to be a clear soup and a cloudy one looks wrong in the bowl.
5. Slice the prepared meat 1 cm thick.
6. Bring the strained broth back to a bare simmer and poach the slices in it for 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife goes in easily.
7. Do not boil it at this stage. Boiled, the meat tightens and goes rubbery and the broth clouds.
8. Fish sauce at the end, once the volume has settled.
9. Serve very hot in small bowls with spring onion and whole chillies, and calamansi on the side.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes